The gist of it is that the basic constituents of reality are so made up that if they are assembled in a certain way, consciousness will follow. — Manuel
It has been said that panpsychism solves the hard problem of consciousness. — Watchmaker
It has been said that panpsychism solves the hard problem of consciousness. — Watchmaker
positing consciousness as fundamental, you at least don't have so great a leap to explain things. — Watchmaker
It doesn't seem as absurd as saying that that the immaterial mind arose from physical matter. — Watchmaker
FWIW, I try to avoid the philosophical problems of Panpsychism, as it is usually formulated. If Consciousness is fundamental, then we could assume that every thing in the universe is conscious to some degree. But the notion of conscious atoms and dust particles has been vociferously debated. As an alternative, I take "Information", in a post-Shannon sense, as the Spinozan single substance of the universe. In order to understand what that means, you'd have to spend some time getting familiar with the scientific postulation that "Information" (essence of both matter & mind) is the fundamental element of Reality. I explore the meaning of that unorthodox concept in my BothAnd Blog. :smile:Panpsychism says that consciousness is fundamental. What does that mean exactly, that consciousness is fundamental? That the substance that the universe is composed of is essentially consciousness? — Watchmaker
it reifies it by installing the dualism within each bit of objective reality. — Joshs
What do you make of Bitbol’s attempt to dissolve the hard problem? — Joshs
Substance" is not "stuff"? This is interesting. Could you explain that a bit more? — Watchmaker
Would it be conceivable that matter is ultimately composed of ousia? — Watchmaker
For him, ousia means Being, not substance, that is, not some thing or some being that "stood" (-stance) "under" (sub-).' — Wayfarer
In other words, as others have suggested, "panpsychism" is a reductionist yet anti-emergence mystery-of-the-gaps which only compounds 'the mystery of consciousness' with a proposal to substitute a (lower level) harder problem for "the" (higher level) "hard problem". A question begged, not answered.Panpsychism says that consciousness is fundamental. — Watchmaker
Yes. In my thesis, I call that "Knower" by various names that indicate only its functional role, because I don't know anything for sure about anything that is not within the space-time universe.Hmmm. Information is fundamental. But wouldn't there still need to be a mind to to "know" this information, as well as to "know how" to execute it? — Watchmaker
Perhaps. "Ousia" was adopted by Christian theologians as a reference to the spiritual "substance" or "essence" of God. So, if you think of Matter as a tangible form of incorporeal Spirit, that might work. But, for a science-oriented audience, it might be easier to convey the same idea by substituting 21st century "Information" for ancient spooky "Spirit".So substance is a form of being, not stuff. Would it be conceivable that matter is ultimately composed of ousia? — Watchmaker
Substance is the stability that results from a structure of constraints acting on a field of free possibilities. It is the stabilisation of the unstable. — apokrisis
But if happiness [eudomonia] consists in activity in accordance with virtue, it is reasonable that it should be activity in accordance with the highest virtue; and this will be the virtue of the best part of us. Whether then this be the Intellect [nous], or whatever else it be that is thought to rule and lead us by nature, and to have cognizance of what is noble and divine, either as being itself also actually divine, or as being relatively the divinest part of us, it is the activity of this part of us in accordance with the virtue proper to it that will constitute perfect happiness; and it has been stated already that this activity is the activity of contemplation [theoria]. — Nichomachean Ethics
So, if you think of Matter as a tangible form of incorporeal Spirit, that might work — Gnomon
Reification (also known as concretism, hypostatization, or the fallacy of misplaced concreteness) is a fallacy of ambiguity, when an abstraction (abstract belief or hypothetical construct) is treated as if it were a concrete real event or physical entity.
I think you mean 'matter'. — Wayfarer
We should consider what the ancient philosophers understood as the philosophical significance of the forms, which is that they are changeless or incorruptible. So they signify immortality, that which is beyond the vicissitudes of becoming and passing away. The quest was for the correspondence between that element of the soul which could be identified with that immortal aspect of being — Wayfarer
In other words, as others have suggested, "panpsychism" is a reductionist... — 180 Proof
Panpsychism is the pathological metaphysics that arises when you try to reduce all existence to materialism, and wind up including "consciousness" as "another face of matter". — apokrisis
Panpsychism says that consciousness is fundamental. What does that mean exactly, that consciousness is fundamental? That the substance that the universe is composed of is essentially consciousness? Where did "knowing" come into play? Something had to initially know how to arrange atoms and chemicals in way to give rise to awareness. — Watchmaker
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.