What are the claims of modern scientists and philosophers surrounding 'panpsychism' that 'everything has a mind'?

Panpsychism is a philosophical theory that holds that all things, including living things and even inanimate objects such as the chair you are sitting on, have a mind or mind-like properties. Panpsychism was established in the 16th century and became popular in the West in the 19th century, but was replaced in the early 20th century by the logical positivist movement, which places importance on empirical proof. However, since 2000, panpsychism has once again attracted attention as an approach to the 'difficult problem of consciousness that cannot be solved by empirical science,' and not only philosophers but also scientists are discussing panpsychism.

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https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a60229168/panpsychism-everything-has-a-soul/

Panpsychism is a term coined by Francesco Patrizzi , a 16th century Platonic philosopher. The concept of panpsychism itself dates back to ancient Greece, where Thales , the father of philosophy, said that 'everything is full of gods,' and Plato , a disciple of Socrates, also stated in his dialogue 'Timaeus' that everything in the world is endowed with a soul and intelligence, and is certainly full of gods. In ancient Greek panpsychism, it would be more accurate to say that everything has a soul ( psyche ), but it is basically considered synonymous with 'mind.'

In the 19th century, panpsychism suddenly became popular in Europe, as German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer argued that 'human life is irrational because of the constant clash of wills, as the world is viewed as a representation and the underlying 'blind will to survive',' and American philosopher and psychologist William James , also known as the father of psychology, advocated panpsychism while advocating thorough pragmatism. However, in the 1920s, a philosophical movement called logical positivism emerged in Vienna, and the idea that 'empirically proven scientific knowledge is the only acceptable knowledge' spread, so panpsychism, which is included in metaphysics, was also deemed meaningless.

However, in today's world of scientific advances, interest in panpsychism has been rekindled. Giulio Tononi, an Italian neuroscientist and psychiatrist, proposed the ' integrated information theory of consciousness ' in 2004, which states that consciousness is widespread and may exist not only in humans but also in some simple systems. In addition, Christoph Koch, a leading American neuroscientist, denied the materialism that says that mental states and consciousness are the result of material interactions inan article he contributed to Scientific American in 2014, stating that 'consciousness resides in the organized mass of matter made up of elementary particles containing electric charges.' In addition, panpsychism has attracted attention because the development of AI has made it seem that AI is not just trained on data but is 'perceiving.'

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On the other hand, Keith Frankish, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield in the UK, criticizes modern panpsychism as a 'metaphysical limbo .' Frankish argues that there is a danger in ' depsychologizing consciousness, ' which conceptualizes the mind or consciousness as a phenomenon rather than a psychological function, and points out that panpsychism is a typical example of this. He goes on to say, 'If consciousness is not intrinsically linked to brain processes, there is no need to think of consciousness as being limited to the brain. This leads to panpsychism, which sees an inner spark in everything. However, this view tends to undermine the importance of our consciousness,' and concludes that panpsychism is 'illusionism.'

On the other hand, Rupert Sheldrake, a well-known biologist, advocates panpsychism from a scientific point of view. Sheldrake is well known for his hypothesis that 'all events affect each other through some kind of temporal and spatial correlation.' Sheldrake argued that it is an indisputable fact that not only humans but the entire galaxy has consciousness, and that consciousness and the mind are not only contained in the brain but also in electromagnetic waves. Sheldrake's hypothesis also includes the question of 'why pets know when their owners are coming home,' and in 2000, an experiment on this hypothesis was conducted by Nippon Television.

While Sheldrake is sometimes called 'one of the most notable scientists today,' there are many who reject his hypothesis as pseudoscience that forcibly explains paranormal phenomena. In 2006, a new field of study called 'Plant Neurobiology' emerged in biology, which deals with the consciousness of plants. However, there are also many controversies surrounding consciousness and the mind, such as the publication of a paper claiming that plants do not have consciousness.

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By Annie Spratt

Popular Mechanics, a New York-based science magazine, concluded in a discussion of panpsychism that 'maybe it's a question of the individual's place in the world.' To what extent do we think the mind exists and what is controlled by consciousness remain within the realm of thought. However, as research on the mind progresses and technology for reproducing the mind, such as AI and whole-brain emulation, advances, panpsychism is likely to attract more attention.