Mind that Abides: Panpsychism in the New MillenniumDavid Skrbina Panpsychism is the view that all things, living and nonliving, possess some mind like quality. It stands in sharp contrast to the traditional notion of mind as the property of humans and (perhaps) a few select 'higher animals'. Though surprising at first glance, panpsychism has a long and noble history in both Western and Eastern thought. Overlooked by analytical, materialist philosophy for most of the 20th century, it is now experiencing a renaissance of sorts in several areas of inquiry. A number of recent books including Skrbina's Panpsychism in the West (2005) and Strawson et al's Consciousness and its Place in Nature (2006) have established panpsychism as respectable and viable. Mind That Abides builds on these works. It takes panpsychism to be a plausible theory of mind and then moves forward to work out the philosophical, psychological and ethical implications. With 17 contributors from a variety of fields, this book promises to mark a wholesale change in our philosophical outlook. (Series A) |
Contents
Panpsychism in history | 1 |
Analysis and science | 31 |
Realistic monism | 33 |
Halting the descent into panpsychism | 67 |
Mind under matter | 83 |
The conscious connection | 109 |
Can the panpsychist get around the combination problem? | 129 |
Universal correlates of consciousness | 137 |
Finite eventism | 231 |
Metaphysics and mind | 251 |
Zeroperson and the psyche | 253 |
All things think | 283 |
Something there? | 301 |
Panpsychic presuppositions of Samkhya metaphysics | 315 |
The awareness of rock | 325 |
Why has the West failed to embrace panpsychism? | 341 |
Panpsychism the BigBangArgument and the dignity of life | 159 |
Process philosophy | 177 |
Back to Whitehead? | 179 |
Does process externalism support panpsychism? | 201 |
The dynamics of possession | 221 |
Minds objects and relations | 361 |
References | 383 |
399 | |
403 | |
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Common terms and phrases
absolutely animals argument atoms basic body brain causal Chalmers claim cognition complex concept concrete conscious experience consciousness cosmos David Skrbina direct realism distinct dualism dynamics electron emergence energy entities existence experiential phenomena experiential reality fact Fechner feel function fundamental Galen Strawson Hameroff hex cycle human Hume idea interaction interpretation intrinsic nature kind laws Leibniz matter means mental metaphysical microtubules mind mind-body problem mind-like mode molecules monads monism neural neurons neutral monism non-experiential notion objects ontological panpsychism panpsychist particles Penrose perception philosophers physical reality physical world physicalist Planck scale possible Prakrti principle problem properties Purusa qualia qualities quantum quantum superposition question reason relations rocks Samkhya Samkhyakarika sensations sense sensory sesmets Skrbina soul space spacetime Strawson strong emergence structure subjects of experience superposition supervenience Tarde theory things thought ultimates understand University Press what-it-is-likeness Whitehead whole wholly