One of the most intriguing and controversial topics in philosophy and science is the nature and origin of consciousness. We humans are undoubtedly conscious beings, capable of experiencing, feeling and thinking about our own existence and the mysteries of reality.
But what is the source of this consciousness? Is it a product of our brain, or does it transcend the physical realm? Is it a unique property of living organisms, or is it a fundamental aspect of the universe that permeates all matter?
These questions were the focus of a recent workshop at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where philosophers and physicists gathered to discuss panpsychism, the view that consciousness is not a rare or emergent phenomenon, but a fundamental and universal feature of reality that is present. in every particle and system.
According to panpsychism, consciousness is not something that arises from complex arrangements of matter, but something inherent in matter itself. It is a fundamental property of reality, like mass or charge, that has always existed and is woven into the fabric of the universe.
This view challenges the conventional wisdom that consciousness is the result of evolution and computation, and that it can only be found in highly advanced life forms.
“This does not mean that literally everything is conscious,” philosopher Philip Goff said earlier Scientific American. “The fundamental promise is that the fundamental constituents of reality – perhaps electrons and quarks – have incredibly simple forms of experience.”
“And the very complex experience of the human or animal brain is somehow derived from the experience of the most fundamental parts of the brain.”
In this context, ‘experience’ refers to perceiving the world, whether through pleasure or pain, or through sight, hearing, smell, touch, etc.
“Maybe at some point the lights go out and consciousness disappears,” Goff added.
“But it is at least coherent to suppose that this continuum of consciousness that fades but never completely turns off turns into inorganic matter, where fundamental particles have almost unimaginably simple forms of experience that reflect their incredibly simple nature.”
