On Panexperientialism

"we ought ... to try every possible mode of conceiving of consciousness so that it may not appear equivalent to the irruption into the universe of a new nature non-existent until then."

William James, 1890

News:

 

:: Review of M. Blamauer's book "The Mental as Fundamental" at NDPR (13.01.2012)

 

:: Interviews shot at the "Emergence and Panpsychism"

conference. Munich, June 2012

 

:: March 29th - April 1st 2012

"The Nature of Phenomenal Qualities"

(at the Univ. of Hertfordshire)

 

:: Panpsychism Web Ressources (NOW ONLINE)

New Literature:

 

Blamauer (ed.)

The Mental as Fundamental

 

link to publisher:

 

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Müller / Watzka (eds.)

Ein Universum voller Geiststaub

 

[DOWNLOAD a presentation of this book -- in german]

 

link to publisher:

Welcome...

We are a group of philosophers, mathematicians and physicists working on ontology and metaphysics from Munich, Germany. Our main areas of interest are:

  • Analytic Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language and Mind (especially Panexperientialism).
  • Research on Ontology and Ontology-Consulting.
  • Philosophy of Physics and Mathematics.


Geiststaub!? What is that?

Geiststaub (from German "geist" = mind and "staub" = dust) is a translation of William James' term "mind-dust". The German term "Geist" is wider than the English term "mind". It means also "spirit", "intelligence" and so on. James writes in his "The Principles of Psychology" that

"... there must be an infinite number of degrees of consciousness, following the degrees of complication and aggregation of the primordial mind-dust. To prove the separate existence of these degrees of consciousness by indirect evidence, since direct intuition of them is not to be had, becomes therefore the first duty of psychological evolutionism ..."
William James, 1890, Chapter VI, 149f.

Thus, the theory of mind-dust defends the idea that mental properties are characteristic to every state of reality. They are present 'all the way down' to even the most fundamental particles. This theory is known under different names, such as: Panpsychism,Panprotopsychism or Panexperientialism.