Panpsychism
Panpsychism is the theory that everything in the universe is somewhat sentient or conscious. They are all connected parts of the whole.
Panpsychists believe that all matter in the universe has some degree of consciousness.In other words the substance of the universe is composed entirely of mind or consciousness. This is not to say that rocks have a mind but that the individual atoms and other particles in the rock have some sort of awareness and are aware of each other. Panpsychism is opposed to materialism or any doctrine that argues that the reality of the universe is composed solely of matter. Panpsychism needs no supernatural miracle to explain consciousness, it is consciousness. In other words we are all part of a grand communication scheme which is the glue that holds the universe together.
Panpsychism Media
Illustration of the Neoplatonic concept of the anima mundi emanating from The Absolute, in some ways a precursor to modern panpsychism.
Illustration of the Cosmic order by Robert Fludd, where the World soul is depicted as a woman
In the art of the Japanese rock garden, the artist must be aware of the "ishigokoro" ('heart', or 'mind') of the rocks.
Axioms and postulates of integrated information theory
A diagram depicting four positions on the mind-body problem. Versions of panpsychism have been likened to each of these positions as well as contrasted to them.
Diagram of Schrödinger's cat thought experiment. Roughly based on Schroedingerscat3.jpg.
References
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
- Catholic Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Other websites
- Panpsychism.net Archived 2021-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
