Panpsychism is a way of trying to understand connections and the source of that which is not a sentient form. Objects have a role in the world and universe as they are part of the material fabric. They may be affected by so much but the presence of the spark of life is what makes it animate. The rock does not have a spark and doesn't die, although plants and trees grow and die. It is not possible to say how much consciousness a tree has. It experiences weather and may store some memory, such as rings but it is unlikely that it has consciousness as we know it. Panpsychism may be an attempt to understanding creativity in the universe, or consciousness in the unconscious.

I can see Strawson's argument because experience is the central to being alive. A chair or a rock doesn't experience the person sitting on it, even though the person may have an effect on the chair, such as scratching it. Ideas about objects having experiences are human projections.

Some panpsychist views are of a spirit in an object, like the idea of a ghost in a machine understanding of a human. This rests on an assumption of disembodied spirits.

Belief in disembodied spirits is central to the idea of the supernatural. Graham Hancock points to the way in which ancient people saw spirits, often under trance states induced by hallucinogenic plants. They took these spirits to be 'real' in the sense of having independent consciousness of human beings. Panpsychism works more in that context.

Awareness is a term which is used in many different ways, like consciousness. What a too wide use of the term misses is the capacity for reflective awareness. The ability to develop reflective awareness is what enables active processes of consciousness.

The issue of experiential sentience (sensing and knowing) is important in considering the idea of panpsychism. Both sensory experiences and development of knowledge are separate but may come together in the emergence of consciousness.

There is the question of how much sentience and knowledge exists in forms such as rocks. Can a rock experience any sensation at all by factors like weather or if it is crushed? Also, does it have any memory as a basis for the organisation of future rock formation? With the memory aspect there is the possibility of Rupert Sheldrake's notion of morphing resonance, although this is more of a 'fringe' concept within science than pansychism. What makes it so 'fringe' may be because it is invisible and hard to test empirically. It is equivalent to Jung's idea of the collective unconscious at a biologically level.

Theories of morphic resonance or memes also do not explain shifts in the different kingdoms in evolution, such as the shift from.mineral to vegetable, or animal to human. They require a higher organisation factor beyond mere memory.

It is about creativity inherent in nature. The shifts in the emergence of the kingdoms is of significance in the evolution of both sentience and knowledge, with the animal and human kingdom both having sentience and the human having consciousness of knowledge, especially through language for the development of ideas. Also, humans are able to reflect on sentience itself and upon the existence of pain itself.

Humans experience is the possibility of being able to integrate experience of pain and suffering as a basis for consciousness as understanding, as opposed to the other extreme of the rock. The rock is passive whereas conscious awareness as human know it involves active participation in the synthesis of experience.

Theoretically, if objects were seen as having consciousness it could be argued that they need to be treated with greater respect. There is the question as to how AI should be treated if it is viewed as conscious. Is destroying it a form of murder?.

However, what may also be happening in the digital age is some tendency to treat humans like objects and machines. Human consciousness is being seen as of lesser value and people treated as numbers and insignificant.

I like your detailed post. Mold is certainly an issue with sick building syndrome, related to damp. It can lead people to become sick physically. Similarly, bed bugs are on the rise in many developed countries and while not necessarily a major source of physical health problems can affect mental state so much.

Yes, suggesting that buildings are sick is anthropomorphic, an example of the 'pathetic fallacy' and metaphorical. It is an interpretation conjured by the human imagination.

Yes, I agree that objects, including buildings, are different from a rock. That is because objects include human interventions in design. However, everything in the universe exists in relationships rather than isolation. Nature is not separate. Weather and bacteria influence all objects, including rocks and buildings.

The reason I referred to sick building syndrome is that I have lived in a number of such buildings. Part of the issue is maintenance but it can be of repeated problems. When one is fixed a new one occurs. I have wondered if buildings have a life cycle, as maintaining older buildings is difficult and complete renovations are often needed. It could be that the organic parts are prone to aging. Even rocks erode and change, just like foods decay. I always seem to have dead lettuce in my fridge. Also, most organic forms need care and I am not good at looking after plants as they die if I have them. This may be my lack of skill or I have wondered if my own 'energy' is not conducive for their thriving.

Defining consciousness is not a simple task for a dictionary definition. That is because apart from different usage of the term it involves so much in way of understanding. A few years ago there was a thread on 'What is consciousness' by @TClark and this showed how it is a big question. Some see it in a clinical sense, like being able to identify signs of life in basic life support, some see it as self-awareness and others see consciousness as something to develop by humans, as in the nature of 'cosmic consciousness' (Bucke). I see all as important as consciousness is multifaceted. Cosmic consciousness is about training one's consciousness or fine tuning, the path of self-mastery.

'Sick building syndrome' is an unusual example of panpsychism and only works if one accepts the idea of energy fields, as opposed to issues of maintenance. In speaking of energy fields I am referring to electromagnetic forces and the Eastern idea of the 'subtle body' may arise from awareness of the electromagnetic field. The idea of 'Gaia' by James Lovelock is also relevant because it conceives of the planet earth as a living being.

I wonder if you are seeing consciousness as being about the processes of being alive, as in that respect it is the same. However, rocks and crystals are not alive in the way we understand it. Differences vary according to the complexity of a lifeform. Part of this determines how we see inherent value in its right to life. Most people don't feel guilty killing weeds and bedbugs.

Of course, such a perspective is anthropocentric but capacity to feel pain is an important criteria. With humans, the nature of consciousness is dependent on ego- consciousness, which is bound up with personal identity and the significance of language. We don't know about the nature of communication of some beings, such as dolphins. But, a rock doesn't have a sense of self, or inner life. Crystals may have an energy field, which is why they are used for healing. But, this is a likely projection of the human imagination.

I have just read the link on contatus and definitely see immanence as important as opposed to 'supernatural'. However, I am not sure that the idea of spirit can be disregarded completely in thinking about the idea of soul. Hegel saw spirit as being imminent in history and in his understanding of 'mind'.

The question of an 'out there' impersonal force is also conceived in varying ways. Spinoza was from a Jewish background. In Judaism there was an emphasis on a personal relationship with 'God', via the soul. So, he may be seen as challenging this. The idea of an objective God or 'divine' aspect of God does not rule out the existence of human beings tuning into nature itself through establishing some connection with cosmic consciousness. In this respect, the idea of 'God' can be seen as a metaphorical description.

The issue of the soul may be about seeing spirituality as being about inner reality as opposed to the concrete objective realm which can be measured by empirical science. It comes back to the dialogue between mythos and logos. Logos may point to rational understanding, including neuroscience as the physical wiring of how mind or soul work, but the numinous dimension is about the experiential nature of inner reality.

I know what you mean, as my path in life has gone a bit weird. The issue may not be the daimon as such but what we need to learn in life. I have a mixture of unpleasant and pleasant synchronicities, which seem more than coincidences.

One which I had which felt like a miracle. I was travelling home a week ago and found I had lost my keys. I retraced the places I had been, making enquiries and at the main place where I had spent my time it was not found. However, the cleaner there told mr that she had seen a key on a keyring with a small teddy attached in the street and was able to direct me to the place where it was.

I have a lot of strange synchronicities involving losing keys and other items. Some would see these as mere coincidental accidents. However, coming from a Junian slant I interpret them symbolically. I also feel that my daimon is involved in providing learning lessons from my 'shadow', or dark side. I also feel that I get a lot of 'Instant Karma', especially when I make mistaken choices. Of course, I am aware that this is my own subjective interpretation of experiences.

My understanding of the idea of daimon is of a spiritual power, but it is not the same as demon. I read a book on the topic by Brian Ingliss, 'The Unknown Guest'. It represents a guiding force, or even higher self, which directs one's life.

There is also the issue as to what extent 'soul' can be seen as an independent 'entity' or as a source, especially in relation to individual experiences. This is where the tricky question of individual 'mind' comes in, as opposed to 'soul' as the animating principle.

The idea of a distinct 'soul' goes back to ancient thinking, including the notion of a 'daimon' referred to by Plato. It is here that it is seen as independent, as an entity which may survive death. The relation to ego consciousness is important and may be seen as related to the idea of 'self, which on Buddhism.may be seen as illusory. The idea of independent 'soul' gives rise to the idea of individual immortality vs the nature of soul as an underlying source inherent in birth and rebirth of lifeforms and consciousness..

The concept of the 'soul' is one which is believed in by most religions and ancient philosophers, but rejected by many materialistic thinkers. In many ways, the soul could be seen as consciousness itself, including the interface between 'mind' and 'body'.

It was partly Descartes' thought which led to the separation of mind and body. This has been challenged by ideas of embodiment as central to consciousness.

The idea of the soul doesn't in itself require the existence of God, or a deity. However, it could be argued that some approximation towards 'God' or a 'supreme reality could be figured from the idea of a source of consciousness from the nature of soul. This is suggested in Plotinus's idea of the 'One', which is the connective source.

Welcome to the forum,
Jack

The concept of eternity and the idea I'd eternal recurrence are interesting in relation to the question of how will time end? It is a perspective in a number of philosophies, significant notably in Nietzsche's ideas. I understand that he took the idea literally initially. This involved repeated births and deaths, with only small changes. Later, he saw the the concept of eternal recurrence as being symbolic mainly.

The idea of eternity, like infinity, conveys the way in which time and space are beyond human measurements. It is hard to know where anything starts and ends definitively. We don't know what happened before the Big Bang and about past and future universes. There is no reason to suggest that they are impossible. Starting and ending are not absolutes necessarily.

I do realise that you were not trying to be reductive in a minimising or reductive way. The argument which you develop is similar to ideas developed by Michael Frayn in 'The Human Touch', which looks at the significance of human consciousness in the cosmos. It looks at phenomenological aspects of time and space. It also goes on to suggest that there is a linguistic aspect of this, with the human grasp of concepts; including space and time.

In a way, it could be argued that time ends for each individual when life ends. Death involves the question of existence outside of space and time. Its possibility is plausible in a idealist perspective, especially in esoteric spiritual ones.

This is an interesting questionable area, whether time is a concept in the mind, or an independent aspect of existence. Time is about the experience of past, present and future, with 'now' being central as Eckhart Tolle argues. There is also the experience of 'time's arrow'. This is based on observation by human observers, but it is also based on changes in nature, including ageing and decay. These are a phenomenal aspect of the human mind, in relation to change, but it may be a grave mistake to reduce these to the human mind completely.

It is a wide topic, but one of importance. The idea of existential angst is central. I have read Kierkegaard's 'Fear and Trembling', and found it worth reading, but it is probably rather obscure for most present day experiences. In thinking about depression, they frequently involve feeling 'bad' and 'sad', but have become medicalised, so it is worth thinking of the medical model of depression.

There is definitely a physiological aspect to it, especially in relation to neurotransmitters, which is why antidepressant drugs are given. However, a biopsychosocial is useful in considering the way in which experiences in life and social circumstances affect mood.

The understanding of depression also occurred in the context of psychiatry and the development of psychology. Many view psychological therapy as being important, often in conjunction with antidepressants.

Psychoanalytic theory has been important in thinking of depression. This is a vast subject area and one aspect of which Freud may have made a significant contribution is in the inability to moarn. This would include deaths of others, but also, the traumas and 'deaths' of painful experiences. One other area which it may be worth you reading about is Melanie Klein's idea of the depressive position, which involves a sense of guilt. This occurs in the early life experience of perceiving the mother and oneself, but is relevant for all life experiences. The topic of psychoanalytic theory, and its criticism, is so vast.

There is also the cognitive behaviourist approach, which emphasises that it is not experiences in themselves which lead to depression. It is our beliefs about experience which trigger feelings. So, cognitive behaviour therapy involves looking at and questioning beliefs about experiences. In some ways, CBT is a philosophy approach to understanding experience and it has parallels with Stoic philosophy.

The whole philosophy of emotions is also relevant. Also, the philosophy of mental states and moods may draw upon multidisciplinary thinking, including both the sciences and the arts. Some critics of the medical model see it as being a limited view to simply prescribe medication to lift one's mood. However, this is also open to criticism as in 'clinical depression' the severity can result in an inability to function, to eat, wash and the presence of suicidal thoughts.

There is a whole spectrum of experience in thinking about what is depression? The word may be used by individuals to describe varying experiences, including the presence of a 'blue' or 'black' mood. It includes unique experiences although it involves a universal sense of misery and potential for a state of despair. There is also the question of what makes life worth living and what is happiness?

I like the way in which you personify or anthromorphise time, especially as all forms of existence are dependent upon it. Time may be a dimension, or an illusory phenomenon, because it is matter or nature which changes. Yet, without it, nothing in the material sense, could exist.

Of course, time could appear to have ceased to exist but may remain dormant. In that respect, it may be one, if not primary, archetype, of all forms of existence.

Somehow, I missed your post, but it makes an important point about the unknown. What came before the 'big bang' or after any 'end' remains unknown. That is why it is hard to know for certain whether linearity of time is part of larger cycles or cycles as part of a linear plan. I am inclined to the picture of the cyclical but certainty of this may stretch beyond the limits of human epistemology.

Part of the reason why I have not written more in the thread which I created is because I do see the 'end' of time as problematic. It would require stepping outside of the space-time level of existence, which would require going beyond physicality.

One significant aspect is the concept of time's arrow in this. There is the possibility of its reversability; this has been explored by some writers, including the novelist Martin Amis. However, the idea of the reversability of time remains a thought experiment, as does the idea of time ending.

In terms of systems thinking, directionality is important and hierarchies. The only way in which directionality could be seen in metaphysics would be about ideas of the higher and lower, as a an upward directionality. This was seen in many spiritual perspectives, as in ideas of heaven, hell, the higher self and, spiritual hierarchies.

However, taking it from a social science perspective, the one aspect which emerges is the role of authority and power within hierarchies. In particular, ideas of good and evil, as with all ideas, of the powerful elite are enforced through law, policy and the manufacturing of news.

Thinking about hierarchies, enables a useful contrast between ideas of the metaphysics of a divine order and the way in which those in powerful positions have a critical role in acceptance of ideas.

There being two football teams playing seems to be what happens in cultural wars, whether it is over religion or gender issues. As for 'the same rules', that is where it gets complicated because the war of opposites leads to different agendas and starting points for creation of rules, including moral guidelines.

It may be that the question of the war between good and evil, or the picture of a wider scheme of opposites was a complex dialogue in ancient thinking. Jung describes the Greek concept of enantiodromia, in which opposites reverse when the the extreme of one opposite is reached.

The concept of a continuum is in contrast to that of binary opposites. I am not sure that many consider the importance of the interplay between the two perspectives as an important area for philosophy. It may have particular relevance of the concept of gender, where some propose a continuum as opposed to a simple division of male and female as categories.

The essentialist ideas of gender are because predominant and, with regard to good and evil, the dualistic picture can be seen as essentialist. There may be a popularity of dualistic thinking for simplistic thinking and avoiding 'grey' areas of uncertainty, but the problematic 'middle' will always remain. It is about that which doesn't fit into the black and white categories, and even of the problem 'boxes' and labelling in classification. Categories may be limited as 'Yes/No' thinking, as opposed to descriptive analysis in understanding.

The analogy between the death of the universe and the human experience of death is an interesting one. The question is whether: death=nothingness=unconsciousness? The idea of 'nirvana' is important here because it involves 'a burning out', like a candle, but it may also involve some kind of merging with the transcendent, after cycles of existence. But, whether it is 'the ultimate end' is another issue in the context of the greatest cycles of evolutionary twists and turns.

Great poetry, as always. What your writing suggests is that there is inherent order amidst the universe, as opposed to randomness. Also, the idea of the 'void' suggests more than 'nothingness', involving a creative process, or manifestation.

Yes, @Molieres comments were helpful. It may have felt like a chore at times to write responses. I must admit that 13 essays seemed a bit overwhelming. I tried to give feedback on as many as I could, but a few I missed because I got fairly tired, especially as a lot of the essays were long.

What I felt may have 'gone wrong' a little was a lack of 'fun' element, which was present in the short story competitions. I wonder if it was because there was not a competition, or whether the word 'essay' makes the writing seem too serious and reminiscent of school essays.

Also, giving feedback is not easy on any piece of writing is difficult. The line between criticism and appreciation is blurry. Certainly, there was no mere 'rubbishing' of attempts and an attitude of respect. Some may enjoy 'rubbishing' and critical attack of another's point of view and writing. The ideal may be giving some ideas of what may have worked and what didn't from the reader's perspective. It may be harder to review work which is excellent and the essays which I ignored may have been because I felt a little out of my depth in concentration and understanding. But, yes, short reviews may help because it is hard to interpret 'silence', and whether it signifies lack of interest.

It is a good question as to whether someone needs to have experienced another's pain in order to be able to empathize. In mental health care, there was some focus on the employment of people who had experienced mental health problems because they had more lived experience which would enable greater understanding of mental health problems. However, it did also appear that members of staff who had family members with mental health issues also were able to empathise and understand these issues extremely well.

The right balance between others' pain and becoming overwhelmed by it is critical. This does explain burnout in the healthcare profession Also, in everyday life, the term 'compassion fatigue' is a way of describing too much concern for others to the point where it drains one's energies.

The issue of 'too many people', is one problem which I see with the commandment of 'love your neighbour as yourself', as there are so many neighbours. How does one prioritize, especially in the global context. It may be simpler in small scale communities. The problem is that in densely urban populations, a lack of community exists. It is in this context that people may become treated as numbers, or even as 'objects'. Lack of 'community' can result in so many people becoming isolated and neglected.

Thank you for your feedback and I am glad that you appreciated the way it was a review. I am more of a reader than someone who likes to voice opinions. I do spend a lot of time immersed in my own subjective thinking but like to focus on the grounding of reading ideas as a disciplined approach, as a way of not getting lost in my 'inner' tangents. I find this to be such a danger, especially when I working night shifts and used to dwell on philosophy questions. The right balance between inner searching and dialogue with others' ideas can be a more of grounding experience, I find.

Autobiography is an extremely interesting form of writing in relation to the spectrum between non fiction and fiction. That is because it is all about framing.

One of my own important experiences was the task given of writing a 'spiritual autobiography' in Religious Studies, during sixth form. I had never really stood back and reflected on my own inner experience in writing before. It felt like a significant step in the direction of philosophy.

One writer who wrote philosophy autobiography was Bryan Magee. Reading his writing made ideas come to life with the way he spoke of his own engagement with ideas.

Of course, a lot of fiction has an autobiographical slant. It allows for 'playing'with one's life experiences in a creative way. This may be partly to protect the people in one's life and also about being able to keep some distance and 'secrecy' about oneself. In the philosophy of authenticity, there is a lot of emphasis on self disclosure. But, I wonder how far this needs to go. Who benefits when we disclose so much, especially painful experiences? Fiction allows for the careful interplay between the basic 'facts' of experience and how one would like it to be.

Fiction involves developing personal mythology, and so does autobiographical writing, in what is selected to share and what remains unsaid.

I am also wondering where autobiography lies in the scope of narratives and identity. How much is about 'objective fact', and subjective meaning? It may seem too subjective, but, on the other hand, subjective/ objective understanding is complicated. I wonder about the balance between science/logos and the imagination.

How much which is taking place historically, is being seen concretely, as opposed to symbolic dramas? To what extent is politics and its historical dramas an expression of cosmic or human dramas in embodied action?

The nature of images and the symbolic are likely to be important in human understanding. So much thinking may become so concrete, as if models, including the mathematical and scientific ones, are seen as all encompassing. This may show a bias and diminishing of human reason, especially in favour of science and arts based understanding, which may be complementary to one another.

In speaking of constructed and deconstructed I am influenced by sociology, especially postmodernism.

In trying to reformulate the question I could ask, Is story and metaphor central to all understanding of 'truth'?

History is constructed from perspectives. Of course, it is brought together by a certain collective experience, but it is understood so differently by individuals. Epistemology has cultural and individual angles. Even one person's viewpoint alters, affected by state of mind and external influence.

This is shocking news! Vera was such an important writer on the forum. She made significant contributions to so many discussions, including the recent essay activity in the past couple of weeks.

I am aware of various members struggling with health problems. Also, I have been hospitalized with pneumonia twice in the last couple of months. We are all mortal beings as we pursue the philosophical questions. Everything in life is impermanent and all exploration occurs within the uncertainties of an unknown future.

Vera will be missed so much on the forum for her unique contributions, and, thank you for informing everyone through starting this thread.

It is complicated because facts are raw material and may be constructed or deconstructed by individuals depending on motivation and how ideas are presented.

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In other words, ancient people may have thought in terms of story. But, what about the twentieth first century, and how relevant is narrative history and understanding?

9kay, but that is about ancient thinking. What about fiction and 'story' in contemporary imagination and thought?

Demorhysing is important, but even science may be based on mythology or story. Does it come down to removing narrative explanations? What are we.left with, models and, on what basis?

Also, in thinking about life experiences what is left if narratives, and symbolic aspects are cast aside. Surely, this would amount to meaninglessness. Stories, even if fabricated, are central to human understanding. They may have subjective rather than objective rendering, but they are central to human experience

The debate on theory of mind offers an interesting one for thinking about consciousness and personal identity. Rocks don't have a sense of identity but humans do. However, personal identity is constructed socially and the idea of 'otherness', or 'difference' too.

The autistic perspective may be about wiring and seeing from 'the outsider's perspective. It is not an academic psychology text but maybe useful, and I am referring to Colin Wilson's, 'The Outsider'. It looks at a number of creative artists and thinkers, including Camus, Nietzsche and Van Gogh. Wilson was interested in states of peak consciousness and this may involve seeing outside conventional frames of reference.

Camus' 'The Outsider' is significant here because in the short aftermath of his mother's death he has sex and goes on to kill someone. This may be important in the understanding of sociopaths, or Nietzsche's idea of 'Beyond Good and Evil'. Lack of empathy, especially effective empathy may involve emotional numbing. But, it would be a great mistake to make over generalisations about autistic people as each person is unique.

It is likely that many of the creative artists and scientists would have been seen as on the autistic spectrum. I have come across suggestions that Immanuel Kant would have been, and his entire philosophy of the categorical imperative could be seen as a theoretical foundation for empathy based ethics.