Panpsychism facts for kids

In the art of the Japanese rock garden, the artist must be aware of the rocks' "ishigokoro" ('heart', or 'mind')

Panpsychism is the theory that everything in the universe is somewhat sentient or conscious. They are all connected parts of the whole.

Panpsychists believe that all matter in the universe has some degree of consciousness.In other words the substance of the universe is composed entirely of mind or consciousness. This is not to say that rocks have a mind but that the individual atoms and other particles in the rock have some sort of awareness and are aware of each other. Panpsychism is opposed to materialism or any doctrine that argues that the reality of the universe is composed solely of matter. Panpsychism needs no supernatural miracle to explain consciousness, it is consciousness. In other words we are all part of a grand communication scheme which is the glue that holds the universe together.

Images for kids

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  Illustration of the Neoplatonic concept of the anima mundi emanating from The Absolute, in some ways a precursor to modern panpsychism.

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  Two iwakura – a rock where a kami or spirit is said to reside in the religion of Shinto

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  Illustration of the Cosmic order by Robert Fludd, where the World soul is depicted as a woman

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  A diagram depicting four positions on the mind-body problem. Versions of panpsychism have been likened to each of these positions as well as contrasted to them.

See also

In Spanish: Pampsiquismo para niños