Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The view that all matter has consciousness.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The doctrine that the entire universe, or any least subdivision of it, has a mental as well as a physical side or aspect, and that the mental side stands to the physical (for instance, in the atom), precisely as human consciousness stands to the human body. Panpsychism may be monistic, reducing all reality to ultimate mental terms, or dualistic; and, if the latter, may receive an interactionist or a parallelistic interpretation. It is represented in ancient philosophy by hylozoism, has persisted in various forms throughout the history of philosophy, and finds acceptance among the moderns, for example, with G. T. Fechner.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The theory that all nature is psychical or has a psychical aspect; the theory that every particle of matter has a psychical character or aspect.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun philosophy, uncountable The doctrine that all matter has a mental aspect. (Many panpsychists employ the qualification that only “true individuals” are animated; that is, that things like atoms, molecules, and organisms are animated as atoms, molecules, and organisms, whereas things like rocks, tables, and boots are not animated as themselves, although they do comprise animate elements.)
  • noun philosophy, countable A specific panpsychist doctrine or system.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Formed by the prefixation of pan- +‎ psychism after the German Panpsychismus (1874), itself after the Latin pampsychia (1591). Compare the Ancient Greek πάμψυχος (pampsukhos, "in full life") and the Modern Greek παμψυχισμός (pampsychismós, "panpsychism").

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Examples

  • Unfortunately, panpsychism is still not taken seriously by most scientists or philosophers.

    2010 February « Anglican Samizdat 2010

  • I have in recent years come to the position that panpsychism is the best explanation we have of mind, matter, and spirituality, after pondering these issues for over 20 years.

    Mindful things « Anglican Samizdat 2010

  • Unfortunately, panpsychism is still not taken seriously by most scientists or philosophers.

    Mindful things « Anglican Samizdat 2010

  • I have in recent years come to the position that panpsychism is the best explanation we have of mind, matter, and spirituality, after pondering these issues for over 20 years.

    2010 February « Anglican Samizdat 2010

  • Again, panpsychism is not an option in this scenario.

    Blurring the Line 2007

  • One has to note that transcendence may not mean separated from the universe (as implied by Biblical creation), and so process theology is well beyond what might be called Panentheism; the better word in panpsychism.

    David Ray Griffin: IDist 2009

  • I'm willing to grant, for the sake of argument, that Jesus believe in panpsychism.

    David Ray Griffin: IDist 2009

  • Except for the adherents of a strange doctrine known as panpsychism,* it would not occur to anyone to think things might be otherwise.

    The Angels and Us Mortimer J. Adler 1982

  • The problem with (2) is that it can't account for panpsychism, which isn't supposed to be a physicalist view.

    dangerous idea 2009

  • The problem with (2) is that it can't account for panpsychism, which isn't supposed to be a physicalist view.

    dangerous idea 2009

Comments

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  • According to strict panpsychism

    From heaven to deepest abysm

    All things are aware

    And able to care,

    So shun the oblivion schism!

    February 14, 2016