Neomentalism

An adaptation of mentalism (the philosophical position that mind is the fundamental reality from which matter derives) to current scientific knowledge. Inspired by Berkeley, Kant, and German idealism, neomentalism reinterprets quantum physics as evidence that consciousness collapses the wave function, or that the universe is essentially mental (panpsychism). It uses arguments from neuroscience about the impossibility of explaining subjective experience (qualia) in material terms. Its strong version, sometimes called “scientific idealism” (Bernardo Kastrup), claims that the physical world is an image of a cosmic mind.

Neomentalism Example: “A neomentalist said: ‘The hard problem of consciousness has no materialist solution – therefore mind is fundamental.’ The neuroscientist responded: ‘Argument from ignorance: what I don’t understand, therefore spirit. That’s gap‑filling with metaphysics, not science.’ The neomentalist counter‑responds: ‘And your materialism is not a solution; it’s a promissory note. We have direct access to consciousness; matter is an inference. If one of the two must be the primitive, the evidence points to mind.’”

Neomentalism by Abzu Land May 27, 2026