Conscious Electrons? The Problem with Panpsychism

I feel increasingly concerned about what I believe to be a mounting and extremely dangerous cultural threat looming on the horizon: panpsychism, the notion that all matter has consciousness, as opposed to being in consciousness.

At a historical nexus when new data and more critical thinking are finally rendering materialism logically and empirically inviable, panpsychism comes in as a tortuous but seductive bandaid.

It threatens to extend the delusion of a universe outside consciousness for yet another century. In this essay, I’d like to try and raise the alarm about it.

Before we begin, let’s clarify what I mean by panpsychism. As discussed in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the term ‘panpsychism’ has so many possible interpretations as to render it at best ambiguous and at worst useless. So more must be said. What I specifically mean here are two particular interpretations of the term that I believe are gaining momentum in both academia and the culture at large...<<<Read More>>>...

 

Panpsychism: The Radical Idea That Everything Has a Mind

Have you ever wondered if the sun, the moon, or the stars have feelings? Or if the rocks, the trees, or the clouds have thoughts? Or if the atoms, the electrons, or the quarks have experiences? If you have, then you are not alone.

Many philosophers throughout history have entertained the idea that everything in the universe has some form of consciousness, or a mind-like quality. This idea is called panpsychism, from the Greek words pan (all) and psyche (soul or mind).

Panpsychism is one of the oldest philosophical theories, dating back to ancient Greece, where thinkers like Thales, Plato, and Spinoza proposed that all things have a soul or a mind.

Panpsychism was also popular in the 19th century, when philosophers like William James, Alfred North Whitehead, and Bertrand Russell argued that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of reality....<<<Read More>>>....

Consciousness May Be Part of the Fabric of the Universe

 One of the most intriguing and controversial topics in philosophy and science is the nature and origin of consciousness. We humans are undoubtedly conscious beings, capable of experiencing, feeling, and reflecting on our own existence and the mysteries of reality.

But what is the source of this consciousness? Is it a product of our brains, or does it transcend the physical realm? Is it a unique property of living organisms, or is it a fundamental aspect of the universe that pervades all matter?

These questions were the focus of a recent workshop at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where philosophers and physicists gathered to discuss panpsychism, the view that consciousness is not a rare or emergent phenomenon, but a basic and universal feature of reality that is present in every particle and system.

According to panpsychism, consciousness is not something that arises from complex arrangements of matter, but something that is inherent to matter itself. It is a fundamental property of reality, like mass or charge, that has always existed and is woven into the very fabric of the universe....<<<Read More>>>...

 

Scientists Now Believe the Universe Itself May Be Conscious

[Waking Times]: You don’t have to look far to find outlandish theories on the nature of the cosmos and human consciousness.

These days, notions once relegated to science fiction are finding their way into esoteric academic journals, and from there, into mainstream discourse.

One example of this is the Simulation Argument, recently championed by Elon Musk; another is ‘time crystals,’ a tantalizing non-linear phase of matter. The newest symphony of mind jazz being broadcast across the Internet posits new ideas about the embattled theory of “panpsychism,” or the belief that mind is a fundamental property of the physical universe and is imbued into all states of matter.

Neuroscientist Christof Koch, a proponent of panpsychism, approaches it from a different angle, using integrated information theory to argue that consciousness is not unique to biological organisms.

“The only dominant theory we have of consciousness says that it is associated with complexity — with a system’s ability to act upon its own state and determine its own fate,” Koch argues. “Theory states that it could go down to very simple systems. In principle, some purely physical systems that are not biological or organic may also be conscious.”...read more>>>...