February 2024
An interpretation of panpsychism called neuroelectrical panpsychism offers a “simple and testable” mind-body solution, according to an article in the Journal of Consciousness Studies.
Panpsychism is a philosophical orientation that, simply put, posits that everything is to a varying degree conscious, from the smallest particles to galaxies. In the words of philosopher and panpsychist Philip Goff, all that exists are “networks of conscious entities”.
In the article, philosophy PhD Mostyn Jones states that “electrical activity across separate neurons creates a unified, intelligent mind”. Neuroelectrical panpsychism, he claims, addresses the “hard problem” of consciousness and deals with panpsychism’s so-called combination problem, i.e. how a plurality of micro-consciousness can form a coherent macro-consciousness.
Panpsychism is sometimes confused with idealism. Both philosophies see consciousness as fundamental, but in idealism, it is the very basis of reality: there is one all-encompassing consciousness, in which everything exists.
Mostyn Jones’ earlier research is mainly on neurophilosophy and theories of mind.
For more background on the topic, see our brief on Covering Consciousness.
Anders Bolling
