^TagPanpsychism

Unstable Atom nucleus with electrons spinning around it technology background

^{Type
post

Author
Joshua R. Farris
Date
November 24, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Atoms, cartesian, Consciousness, decision-making, god, Panpsychism, Philip Goff, Physics, soul}

Reflections on “Are Atoms Conscious?” and Philip Goff

_{Can we admit consciousness without giving into theism?} _{Joshua R. Farris

November 24, 2023

9

Philosophy of Mind}

Upon finishing the recent debate with Philip Goff, which I found to be both fascinating and revelatory, I realized that there was much that I could’ve said but didn’t due to time constraints and tactical decision-making. Even more, there are a few things I now wish I said. Here is the debate below for reference. What I Could’ve Said I could’ve highlighted more explicitly the features of the unity of consciousness and drove home why it is in fact that variant naturalisms (including panpsychism) just don’t seem to give us what we need. The Unity of Consciousness rules out naturalistic agents. And, here’s one basic argument as to why this is the case. The basic features exhibited by our consciousness Read More ›

^{Type
podcast

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
September 21, 2023

Tagged
Consciousness, Joshua Farris, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Panpsychism}

What Makes Humans Unique?

_{Michael Egnor

September 21, 2023

1}

What makes humans unique compared to the rest of the natural world? Can strict materialists answer that question? In today’s podcast episode, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor speaks with Dr. Joshua Farris on the idea that human beings are made in God’s image, the mystery of consciousness, and panpsychism. Additional Resources

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post

Author
David Hsing
Date
September 8, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Panpsychism}

Artificial Consciousness Remains Impossible (Part 3)

_{The claim that all things are conscious (including AI) misunderstands the meaning of the term} _{David Hsing

September 8, 2023

5

Artificial Intelligence}

Read parts one and two of the series to catch up to speed. I don’t subscribe to panpsychism, (a topic that has been popular in SA in recent years[26]), but even if panpsychism is true, the subsequent possible claim that “all things are conscious” is still false because it commits a fallacy of division. There is a difference in kind from everything to every single thing. The purported universal consciousness of panpsychism, if it exists, would not be of the same kind as the ordinary consciousness found in living entities. Some examples of such categorical differences: Johnny sings, but his kidneys don’t. Johnny sees, but his toenails don’t. Saying that a lamp is conscious in one sense of the word simply Read More ›

AI, Machine learning, Hands of robot and human touching big data of Global network connection, Internet and digital technology, Science and artificial intelligence digital technologies of futuristic.

^{Type
post

Author
David Hsing
Date
September 4, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Information Theory, intelligence, Machines, Materialism, Panpsychism}

Artificial Consciousness Remains Impossible (Part 1)

_{The cherished fiction of conscious machines is an impossibility} _{David Hsing

September 4, 2023

12

Artificial Intelligence}

This article is an attempt to explain why the cherished fiction of conscious machines is an impossibility. The very act of hardware and software design is a transmission of impetus as an extension of the designers and not an infusion of conscious will. The latter half of the article is dedicated to addressing counterarguments. Lastly, some implications of the title thesis are listed. Intelligence vs. Consciousness Intelligence is the ability of an entity to perform tasks, while consciousness refers to the presence of a subjective phenomenon. Intelligence[1]: “…the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment” Consciousness[2]: “When I am in a conscious mental state, there is something it is like for me to be in that state from the Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
August 9, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
brain, Closer to Truth (video series), Consciousness, Dean Radin, energy, Material, mind, Oppenheimer, Panpsychism}

Does Consciousness Defeat Materialism?

_{There is a re-emerging interest in consciousness and the mind} _{News

August 9, 2023

2

Philosophy of Mind}

What would it take for “consciousness,” undoubtedly a nebulous and broad term, to defeat the idea that the mind is no more than the brain? For Dean Radin, a parapsychology researcher who was featured on the Closer to Truth program this month, it depends on what you mean by matter. “If you just look through history about the nature of matter, how has it changed historically, it has become more and more ephemeral. And I will imagine it will continue to become more ephemeral,” he said. For Radin, then, matter is complicated, and if you look closely enough, ends up being “mostly nothing.” If you’ve seen the new Oppenheimer movie, directed by Christopher Nolan, perhaps you’ll remember the scene in Read More ›

Reflection of mountain range in lake, Grand Teton National Park

^{Type
post

Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
May 31, 2023

Categorized
Panpsychism, Science

Tagged
Environmentalism, Human exceptionalism, Law, Nature, Nature Rights, Panpsychism, Politics, science, Wesley J. Smith}

Should We Give Nature “Rights”?

_{The nature rights movement is more ideological than rational} _{Wesley J. Smith

May 31, 2023

5

Panpsychism, Science}

The major science journals are growing increasingly hard left politically. The prestigious journal Science, in particular, has swallowed progressive ideology–including supporting the “nature rights” movement. The rights of nature–which include geological features–are generally defined as the right to “exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.” Nature is, of course, not sentient. So, this campaign is really about granting environmental extremists legal standing to enforce their policy desires through litigation as legal guardians serving nature’s best interests. But the movement has a problem. It is clearly ideological rather than rational. So now, three law professors and a biologist writing in Science urge scientists to promote the agenda by giving courts a scientific pretext to enforce nature rights laws, or even, impose the Read More ›

View of the Great Salt Lake at sunset, at Antelope Island State Park, Utah

^{Type
post

Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
March 30, 2023

Categorized
Human exceptionalism, Panpsychism

Tagged
Consciousness, Conservation, Great Salt Lake, Mysticism, Nature, Nature Rights, New York Times, Panpsychism, Terry Tempest Williams, Wesley J. Smith}

Should Great Salt Lake Have Rights?

_{The nature rights movement keeps making inroads into establishment thinking — and people keep ignoring the threat} _{Wesley J. Smith

March 30, 2023

5

Human exceptionalism, Panpsychism}

The nature rights movement keeps making inroads into establishment thinking — and people keep ignoring the threat. The concept has now been advocated in a major opinion piece in the New York Times. Utah’s Great Salt Lake is shrinking — a legitimate problem worthy of focused concern and remediation. Utah native and Harvard Divinity School’s writer-in-residence Terry Tempest Williams — who focuses on “the spiritual implications of climate change” — makes a strong case that the lake is in trouble. A Conservationist Approach Her proposed remedies reflect a proper conservationist approach worthy of being debated: Scientists tell us the lake needs an additional one million acre-feet per year to reverse its decline, increasing average stream flow to about 2.5 million acre-feet per year. A Read More ›

zen garden meditation stone background with stone and lines in sand for relaxation balance and harmony spirituality or spa wellness

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 1, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Closer to Truth (video series), Consciousness, Consciousness as immaterial, David Chalmers, David Chalmers on dualism, Dualism, Panpsychism, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, soul, Soul in Chalmers' view}

Philosopher: I Accept Dualism But Don’t Believe in the Soul

_{David Chalmers, whose background is in physics, talks to Robert Lawrence Kuhn at Closer to Truth about his struggle to accept that the mind is immaterial} _{Denyse O'Leary

January 1, 2023

10

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

David Chalmers, the New York University philosopher who coined the term “Hard Problem of Consciousness” was willing to take the risk of openly identifying as a dualist — that is, he believes that, on evidence, the human mind is immaterial. On that view, widely accepted worldwide, the human being has a dual nature: a material body and an immaterial mind. But Chalmers draws the line at believing in the existence of a soul. Here is his discussion at Closer to Truth with Robert Lawrence Kuhn, “Is the ‘Soul’ Immortal?” (May 4, 2021, 9:06 min): The claim that human beings have or are an ‘immortal soul’ goes back to the ancient Greeks, if not further. In a pre-scientific world, it would Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
April 1, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Physics

Tagged
Carlo Rovelli (and panpsychism), Emergence (philosophy), Lee Smolin (laws of physics evolve), Panpsychism, Panpsychism (acceptance in physics), Philip Goff (on physicalism), Promissory materialism, Thomas Lewton}

New Scientist Offers a Sympathetic Account of Panpsychism

_{A serious, long form article shows that physicalism (“the mind is just what the brain does”) is failing} _{News

April 1, 2022

5

Philosophy of Mind, Physics}

Panpsychism, the view that all nature participates in consciousness, has been growing under the radar for some time in science. But it is now coming into plainer view. New Scientist is one of the last places one might have expected to find a serious, long-form account of panpsychism — one that, in the context, amounts to a defense. Yet that’s just what science writer and filmmaker Thomas Lewton has been permitted by the editors to do. He tells us about his own journey at his site: “Studying physics, I thought telescopes and particle colliders would offer firm answers, but instead they raised more questions.” And at New Scientist, he tells us why: It can seem as if there is an Read More ›

Happy beautiful twins girls point up isolated on blue background, two sisters showing something above their heads , advertisement, place for text, body language

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
November 7, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
David Chalmers, Dualism, hard problem of consciousness, Idealism, Panpsychism, Philosophical zombie (p-zombie), Prudence Louise}

Why Physicalism Is Failing as the Accepted Approach to Science

_{The argument that everything in nature can be reduced to physics was killed by the philosophical Zombie, as Prudence Louise explains} _{News

November 7, 2021

5

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

At Medium, Prudence Louise, a writer on philosophy and religion, explains that in 1994 philosopher David Chalmers killed the Zombie in cold blood, igniting “a zombie apocalypse.” Sounds like an unusual role for a philosopher. And the Zombie?: “The philosophical notion of a “zombie” basically refers to conceivable creatures which are physically indistinguishable from us but lack consciousness entirely (Chalmers 1996)” — Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Louise asks us to picture that: Imagine you meet your doppelganger. Someone physically identical to you, atom for atom. The only difference is the doppelganger has no inner consciousness. They look happy or sad, they even tell you of their hopes and dreams. But there is nothing more than physical processes moving in response to physical causes. Their lips move and sounds which are meaningful to you come out, but they experience nothing at all. From the outside you are identical. But from the inside the zombie is a hollow imitation. That is a philosophical zombie. The physical structure, functions and behavior are identical, but there is no consciousness. What exactly is the missing ingredient? Prudence Louise, “The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness” at Medium (October 30, 3021) The zombie could, in principle, exist. At the same time, we all know we are not zombies in the sense that we know we are conscious more certainly than we know anything else. And if consciousness is an illusion, well, whose illusion is it? As Louise goes on to show, for a physicalist (a person who believes that everything is physical), the zombie is an “explanatory nightmare.” It forces us to sense that there is something besides the physical. Although we can explain more and more about the human body in terms of structure and function, there is no good science-based theory of consciousness on the horizon. And if we can explain everything about a human being except consciousness, well, we haven’t explained, say, the difference between Jane and Zombie-Jane, which humans generally agree is important. As Louise explains in her short article, “The stakes are high. If there can’t be a scientific explanation of conscious experience, this shows physicalism is false.” One problem is that science explains third-person phenomena but consciousness is a first-person phenomenon. She then goes into much more careful logical and philosophical detail but here’s the gist: When you move your body to the fridge in response to a desire for a snack, or take medication in response to pain, or lock the doors due to a fear of burglars, there is no causal connection between those conscious states and the physical effects of your body moving. This view isn’t fatal to the physicalist theory, but it puts it on critical life support. Our mental states cause actions which move matter constantly, giving us a lot of evidence it’s true. Any arguments those powers are illusory will need to be stronger than our confidence our conscious states cause our bodies to move. Prudence Louise, “The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness” at Medium (October 30, 3021) Physicalism took root in a mechanistic view of the universe, pioneered by Isaac Newton. And before the Zombie even showed up, that view was already being challenged by quantum mechanics, in which the conscious observer plays a key role in what happens. But, for scientists, physicalism is not the only game in town: Alternative metaphysics, like idealism, substance dualism or panpsychism all avoid the hard problem by denying causal closure. They accept the observation that consciousness is non-physical, and it’s causally effective, which means causal closure must be false. Unlike the observations of consciousness and its causal powers, causal closure isn’t based on observations of the world. It’s a metaphysical commitment. Physicalism is confronting a problem created by its philosophical commitments being in conflict with our observations of the world. Prudence Louise, “The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness” at Medium (October 30, 3021) Of the three alternatives Louise lists, panpsychism seems to the one many scientists are gravitating to. Instead of “nothing is conscious,” many now think everything is conscious. Just recently, prominent biochemist James Shapiro titled a paper “All living cells are cognitive.” And prominent neuroscientist Antonio Damasio offered that viruses have some type of intelligence. Other well-known science achievers argue that electrons have a rudimentary mind. In response to criticism from physicists Sabine Hossenfelder and Sean Carroll, philosopher Philip Goff points out that panpsychism is not in conflict with physics. It offers a simpler view of physics than dualism, with fewer gaps than materialism (including physicalism). Essentially, panpsychism offers a way for scientists to address human consciousness, as currently understood, without explaining it away as an illusion. It would allow them to say that if Zombie-Jane existed, she would be missing something critical that Jane has (and so does everything else, to at least some extent). Whether that benefit makes panpsychism a better explanation of reality than idealism or dualism is a separate question. Each of these points of view has its own issues but the Zombie isn’t one of them. You may also wish to read: Theoretical physicist slams panpsychism Electrons cannot be conscious Sabine Hossenfelder’s view because they cannot change their behavior. Hossenfelder’s impatience is understandable but she underestimates the seriousness of the problem serious thinkers about consciousness confront. There is a reason that some scientists believe that the universe is conscious: It would be more logically coherent to say that you think the universe is conscious than to say that your own consciousness is an illusion. With the first idea, you may be wrong. With the second idea, you are not anything. Read More ›

The universe within. Silhouette of a man inside the universe, physical and mathematical formulas.. The concept on scientific and philosophical topics. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 31, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Core Theory (of physics), Dualism (vs panpsychism), Materialism (vs panpsychism), Michael Tye, Panpsychism, Panpsychism (and physics), Panpsychism (opponents), Philip Goff, Sabine Hossenfelder, Sean Carroll, Standard Model (of physics), Vagueness and the Evolution of Consciousness (book)}

Philosopher: Panpsychism Is Not in Conflict With Physics at All

_{Responding to criticism from physicists Sabine Hossenfelder and Sean Carroll, Philip Goff points out that panpsychism is not a dualist perspective} _{News

October 31, 2021

6

Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

At IAI.tv, University of Durham philosophy prof Philip Goff tells us that “The world of academic philosophy has been rocked by the conversion of one of the most influential materialists of the last thirty years, Michael Tye, to a form of panpsychism (panprotopsychism) in his latest book. And the main annual UK philosophy conference held a plenary panel on panpsychism this year for the first time in its history.” That’s part of a pattern in which philosophy and science are warming to panpsychism, the belief that either all entities or all living entities participate in consciousness. Dr. Goff, author of Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, offers some thoughts on what panpsychism is and isn’t: Panpsychism is the Read More ›

Beautiful night sky, the Milky Way, moon and the trees. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

^{Type
podcast

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
August 26, 2021

Tagged
Arthur Schopenhauer, Bernardo Kastrup, Computers, Consciousness, Cosmopanpsychism, Death, dissociative identity disorder, epiphenomenal, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Intelligent design theory, Jerry Fodor, Materialism, metaphysics, Michael Egnor, mind, mutation, Near-death experiences, Panpsychism, Panpsychism (vs. materialism), Philosophy, Physics, Quantum Computing, Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Physics, Sabine Hossenfelder, sense, Sense of smell, Sense of touch, soul, subjective idealism, Teleology, Thomas Aquinas}

“If Nobody Looks at the Moon, Does It Exist?” and Other Metaphysical Questions

_{Michael Egnor

August 26, 2021

2}

If no one is looking at the moon, does it exist? Why has materialism been around for so long? Will computers ever be conscious? What happens to our consciousness after we die? Bernardo Kastrup tackles these questions and more with Michael Egnor in another bingecast! Show Notes 0:00:28 | Introducing Dr. Bernardo Kastrup 0:01:22 | How quantum mechanics points to Read More ›

Illustration of synapse and neuron on a blue background.

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 14, 2021

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Anil Ananthaswamy, Consciousness, Daniel Dennett, David Chalmers, Dualism, Idealism, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), Kevin McQueen, Materialism, Michael Graziano, Naturalism, Orch OR, Orchestrated objective reduction (Orch OR) theory, Panpsychism, Quantum Collapse}

Will We Soon Be Able to Test Theories of Consciousness?

_{Proponents of two leading theories of consciousness are trying to develop tests for their models, in a hitherto baffling field} _{Denyse O'Leary

July 14, 2021

7

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Science journalist and author Anil Ananthaswamy has written a thoughtful piece at New Scientist on the leading models of consciousness and their relationship to quantum mechanics (quantum physics). Are we reaching the point where we can test at least one of them? Ananthaswamy is well qualified to assess the arguments. He is the author of both Through Two Doors at Once (2018) on quantum physics and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2015) on the nature of the self. Models of consciousness that assume that “consciousness isn’t separate from the material reality that physics explains” (materialist or naturalist theories) fall into three general classes, as he explains. Analysts like Tufts philosopher Daniel Dennett and Princeton neuroscientist Michael Graziano argue that consciousness Read More ›

^{Type
podcast

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 27, 2021

Tagged
addiction, Adrian Owens, Aquinas, Aristotle, Benjamin Libet, Cartesian dualism, Coma, Consciousness, corpus callosotomy, corpus callosum, Dualism, eliminative materialism, Emergence, free will, frontal lobotomy, Hebb's Law, hylomorphism, Materialism, mind, mind-body dualism, mind-body problem, Neuroscience, non-overlapping magisteria, open brain operations, Panpsychism, predestination, qualia, Roger Sperry, soul, Spirit, split-brain surgery, Terri Schiavo, Wilder Penfield}

Bingecast: Michael Egnor on the Human Brain

_{Robert J. Marks

May 27, 2021

3}

In this Bingecast episode, Dr. Robert J. Marks and Dr. Michael Egnor explore the human brain and its relationship to the mind. Is the mind an emergent property of the brain? Is there neurological evidence for the soul? What have brain experiments taught us about free will and the human person? Can you still think in a coma? Show Notes Read More ›

shout abstrat illusion background. 3D Illustration

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 20, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Angus Menuge, Christof Koch, Consciousness as unity, Featured, Gregory Chaitin, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), Objectual unity, Panpsychism, Paul Churchland, Physicalism, Robert J. Marks}

Panpsychism Is, in Angus Menuge’s View, a Desperate Move

_{But he thinks it is worth keeping an eye on as an understandable reaction to materialism} _{News

May 20, 2021

9

Philosophy of Mind}

In Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks’s second podcast with philosopher Angus Menuge, the big topic is the perennial “Hard Problem of consciousness and various proposed solutions. Last time, they talked about the surprisingly large philosophical problem created by a concept like “red.” This time, they talk about whether Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and panpsychism in general are a way out of the dead end of naturalism. That is, if our science hypothesis is that consciousness is just an illusion, then we don’t — and can’t — have a hypothesis. There must be a better solution than that: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-134-Angus-Menuge.mp3 This portion begins at 10:35 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Robert J. Marks: Okay. Let’s Read More ›

Looking through glasses to bleach nature landscape - tulips field. Color blindness. World perception during depression. Medical condition. Health and disease concept.

^{Type
podcast

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 13, 2021

Tagged
Christof Koch, Consciousness, Frank Jackson, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Gregory Chaitin, Henry Stapp, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), John von Neumann, Knowledge Argument, Lynne Rudder Baker, Near-death experiences, Ned Block, Panpsychism, Paul Churchland, phenomenal consciousness, Philosophy of Mind, qualia, quantum consciousness, Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Nagel}

Dr. Angus Menuge: Models of Consciousness (Part II)

_{Robert J. Marks

May 13, 2021

1}

What is it like to see a red rose? To smell a red rose? To feel pain? In this week’s podcast, Dr. Robert J. Marks and Dr. Angus Menuge continue their discussion on philosophies of the mind, delving into competing definitions of consciousness. Show Notes 00:26 | Introducing Dr. Angus Menuge 01:01 | Phenomenal consciousness and qualia 07:25 | Experiencing Read More ›

Ideas escape from brain of pensive african man

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 11, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Angus Menuge, Daniel Wegner, Dualism, Emergentism, Epiphenomenalism, Featured, Galen Strawson, Illusion of Conscious Will (book), Jaegwon Kim, Non-reductionism, Panpsychism, Physicalism, Reductionism, Richard Swinburne, Robert J. Marks, Steam-whistle analogy (to mind), Thomas Henry Huxley}

How Have Various Thinkers Tried To Solve the Mind–Body Problem?

_{Philosopher Angus Menuge explains why traditional physicalism (the mind is just what the brain does) doesn’t really work} _{News

May 11, 2021

8

Philosophy of Mind}

In last week’s podcast, Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviewed Concordia University philosopher Angus Menuge on one of philosophy’s biggest headscratchers, the mind–body problem. In the second part, they looked at a big question, if the mind and body are so different, how can they interact? We know we are not just bodies, and a number of models of the relationship are offered. Menuge offers a look at some of them: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-133-Angus-Menuge.mp3 This portion begins at 15:50 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Some philosophers don’t think the mind–body problem is as big a challenge as it is made out to be. Angus Menuge (pictured): Well, there are some like Richard Swinburne, who is Read More ›

Neurons electrical pulses. Interconnected neurons with electrical pulses.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 9, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Consciousness, Daniel Dennett, Electrons, Electrons (and consciousness), Evolution (Strawson's view), Galen Strawson, Keith Frankish, Panpsychism, Physics, Robert Wright}

How a Materialist Philosopher Argued His Way to Panpsychism

_{Galen Strawson starts with the one fact of which we are most certain — our own consciousness} _{News

May 9, 2021

7

Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

In 2018, science writer Robert Wright interviewed physicalist philosopher Galen Strawson (pictured) who, in a long conversation, explained the logical steps by which he — a philosopher who holds that nature is all there is and that everything is physical — also came to believe that consciousness underlies everything. Wright published a long excerpt from the discussion in June 2020, in which Strawson explains his reasoning. Wright starts things off by noting that “In recent years more and more philosophers seem to have embraced panpsychism—the view that consciousness pervades the universe and so is present, in however simple a form, in every little speck of matter.” Indeed, even publications like Scientific American have run panpsychist opinion pieces in recent years. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
April 16, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Bruce Gordon, Consciousness, Cosmopanpsychism, Featured, Franz Brentano, Idealism, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Micropsychism, Panpsychism, Panpsychism (vs. materialism), Thomas Nagel}

A Physicist and Philosopher Examines Panpsychism

_{Idealism says everything is an idea in the mind of God. Panpsychism says everything participates in consciousness (thus is not just an idea)} _{News

April 16, 2021

9

Philosophy, Science}

In last week’s podcast,” our guest host, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, interviewed philosopher of science Bruce Gordon on “Idealism and the Nature of Reality.” Idealism is the view that “something mental (the mind, spirit, reason, will) is the ultimate foundation of all reality, or even exhaustive of reality” – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. As Gordon noted in the earlier portion of this podcast, idealism is actually a practical philosophy. It originated with Plato (c. 424–347 BC) but the modern form, which he himself holds, is that of George Berkeley (1685–1753). In Berkeley’s view everything that exists is an idea in the mind of God. Thus, Dr. Egnor asked him what he thinks of panpsychism, the view that everything in the universe Read More ›

Bench on scenic overlook in Oklahoma, southeastern region in the Ouachita Mountains, scenic vistas of the mountains

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
April 15, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Bruce Gordon, Featured, George Berkeley (1685–1753), Idealism (philosophy), Immanuel Kant, Michael Egnor, Noumenal vs. phenomenal, Panpsychism, Plato}

Why Idealism Is Actually a Practical Philosophy

_{Not what you heard? Philosopher of science — and pianist — Bruce Gordon says, think again} _{News

April 15, 2021

9

Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind}

In last week’s podcast,,” our guest host, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, interviewed philosopher of science Bruce Gordon on “Idealism and the Nature of Reality.” Idealism is “something mental (the mind, spirit, reason, will) is the ultimate foundation of all reality, or even exhaustive of reality” – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Gordon thinks that idealism is defensible, reasonable, and too easily discarded: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-129-Bruce-Gordon.mp3 A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Michael Egnor: At its most fundamental level, is reality more like a mind? Or is it more like a physical object? That question — and questions like that — are fundamental to our understanding of nature and our understanding of ourselves, and our understanding of God. I should point out Read More ›