A theoretical stance proposing that mind, consciousness, or
psychological properties are not unique to humans or animals but are fundamental and ubiquitous features of reality. In this view, consciousness exists on a spectrum that includes electrons, rocks, ecosystems, and perhaps the cosmos itself. It doesn't claim rocks think like humans, but that they possess an inner, subjective aspect—a primitive form of experience. Panpsychism (its
philosophical root) offers a solution to the "
hard problem of consciousness" by making consciousness a basic building block of matter, like mass or charge. Panpsychology extends this to the study of these universal mental states, blending psychology with cosmology.
Example: A proponent of Panpsychology doesn't think your laptop is plotting against you. They suggest, however, that the
fundamental particles composing the laptop each have a
microscopic, unimaginably simple "point of view"—a raw feeling of being.
Integrated into complex systems, these micro-experiences combine into the rich consciousness of animals. This isn't mysticism; it's a serious, if controversial, answer to why matter arranged a certain way produces inner experience.
