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Panpsychism is Making a Comeback
A belief system our species has had since before it had a name was dismissed for centuries but scientific advancements are breathing new life into it
I’m warning you now — we’re getting into it today. Imma take you down a wild rabbit hole of brain-melting awesomeness that will transform your perspective of the world. Today’s topic, panpsychism (pan-psych-ism), is growing in popularity as scientific advances reveal that this once-dismissed concept may be worth taking seriously.
If you haven’t heard of it, panpsychism is essentially a theory of consciousness. Its idea is that consciousness doesn’t require a brain because it’s ubiquitous in the universe — it resides in everything, even single cells and atoms. This theory is as ancient as it is controversial, but modern science is starting to understand why the concept has such an enduring history.
Panpsychism
The word panpsychism has Greek origins with “pan,” meaning “all,” and “psyche,” meaning “soul or mind,” which is pretty apt since the concept centers on the idea that everything possesses at least some degree of consciousness. Panpsychists believe consciousness is omnipotent in the physical universe. Does this mean even the chair you’re sitting in is…
