Paraphysicalism

The view that there are phenomena that run parallel to the physical—alongside it, interacting with it, but not reducible to physical explanation. Paraphysicalism suggests that consciousness, for example, may be paraphysical: correlated with brain activity but not identical to it, interacting with the physical without being physical. Similarly, information, meaning, and perhaps even some paranormal phenomena may be paraphysical: real, causal, and parallel to the physical world without being part of it. It's the position that the physical is not the whole story, but what lies beyond may be parallel rather than superior—another layer, another dimension, another order of reality entirely.

"You think consciousness is just brain activity? Paraphysicalism says: maybe it's parallel—correlated with the brain, interacting with it, but not reducible to it. Like two gears meshing: the brain turns, consciousness turns, but they're not the same gear. Paraphysical doesn't mean unreal—it means real in a different way."

by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026