The Metaphysics of Panpsychism (2016)

The Metaphysics of Panpsychism.
Alfred North Whitehead's Process Philosophy, the Mystery of Consciousness and the Mind-Body Problem (2016)
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Compilation by Michael Schramm
Background Music by Michael Schramm
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Speakers & Quotations:
Charles Birch, Susan Blackmore, David J. Chalmers, Daniel C. Dennett, Freeman Dyson, David Ray Griffin, Charles Hartshorne, Nicholas Humphrey, Christof Koch, Colin McGinn, Thomas Nagel, Karl R. Popper, John R. Searle, Rupert Sheldrake, Galen Strawson, Alfred North Whitehead.

Tags:
panpsychism, consciousness, mind-body problem, process philosophy, process metaphysics, materialism, (property) dualism, quantum physics, indeterminism, free will
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I have uploaded the resource document again and added a new link. Thanks for the interest!
Resources (new link):
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[lildice]

The atoms floating around my brain decided to make me type this. Thanks!

[Tmuk]

I can't believe how many people fall for the old "consciousness is an illusion" line – who or what is witnessing this illusion?!

[processpsych]

Excellent compilation! This nexus of people and ideas has been the subject of my own project for over a decade now. I'm researching and applying to grad schools now to continue this project. Great work here!

[aus]

Everything I ever thought about consciousness has been brought up before by David Chalmers, He's always two steps ahead. Gonna watch cat videos now.

[umarwyne]

I have not seen any such thing before. This is simply excellent that how intelligently a video is developed almost exactly on the parameters of research paper; editing based on giving different aspects with references.
A right usage of video... excellent!!!

[andreab]

Susan Blackmore's objection to the "theatre of consciousness" misses the mark. It's almost a straw-man to attack the substantiality of consciousness by attacking the silly idea of a spectator inside the brain. In fact, we feel consciousness anywhere our attention goes. We can feel an almost split consciousness, especially in pathological cases but also under extreme psychological and existential stress. We can definitely feel "like" one with the external world or some things/people in the external world. We can get caught in the moment or in group-behaviours and do things almost unconsciously, while feeling it like a sort of stream as in dance or sex or panic attacks. We can also feel like we are possessed by an overbearing mental force, like when we give into vices or pains or pleasure, even some forms of strong compassion. Consciousness is really a fluid entity more than a simple spectator caged in the skull.

Searle seems to also miss this fluidity. Consciousness does not need to be essentially discrete. It may be a dispersed phenomenon that presents to us as a kind of limited "peak" or "crest" focussed on itself. The conscious self needs not be the ego focussed on itself - the ego is a boundary of consciousness, not consciousness itself. This is the worldview of many forms of spirituality like Hinduism or Buddhism. The conscious ego may be like a wave in the ocean of consciousness - upon merging in the ocean, consciousness that not cease to be, it rather expands and only loses its own egocentric boundaries.

[tonymizen]

The Materialist view is that mind can be reduced to matter. If this is correct, that mind is ultimately physical 'stuff', then the human pursuit of truth through science and reason boils down to physical matter trying to understand itself.

Physical matter is defined as something that has no mental life, so it is logically impossible for mere matter to seek understanding of anything. It surely follows then that mind cannot be reduced to matter. Consciousness must exist in matter for matter to give rise to mind...

R D Laing sums it up in saying "An object cannot know that it is nothing but an object"

[jasonparker]

Here I go again on my own. Going down the only road I've ever known.

[samalqattan]

Amazing video. Thank you for putting this together

[TheKstuart]

quote: "... consciousness cannot arise by magic, it must have some basis in matter. "

This is why physicists make bad philosophers, they already have a whole host of unexamined assumptions which function as "religious" or ideological beliefs like the above quote.

Philosophy is the process of removing all your assumptions until you have none at all, at which point you can inquire "what is the world", "what or who am I" and crucially "what is the meaning and basis for motivation".

[bruceclark]

Great compilation and clear explanation of panpsychism - Thanks! Btw anyone know the source of the Rupert Sheldrake clip near the end?

[summondadrummin]

I enjoyed this very much I really appreciate the spectrum of philosophies presented. Its very helpful to see the contrasting perspectives presented.

[spiritualopportunism]

Consciousness does come from magic and so does existence.

[aramoolaya]

Great compilation, thank you very much!

[MrWaterlionmonkey]

I don't always get this view of myself that i'm living inside my head. Most of the time it feels i'm above myself.

[thoughtyfalcon]

I disagree with Whitehead's conception of a non-creator God but I really admire his panpsychist metaphysical framework. I have enormous respect for Whitehead and his ability to provide a theory for the working of a physical reality that even science can't explain. Whitehead was able to 'logicalize' conciousness, something never done in any of the sciences and that is much appreciated from this genius.

[iiis]

Consciousness is the basis of a topic, but after that we must ask why consciousness allows for individualized egos that no one but the beholder can control or experience. Once the ego is in place or removed it makes for a completely different life than with or without it

[spiritualopportunism]

Wow, very informative video. I am a fanatic about the hard problem and I think you just made my fix very convenient. Thank you very much!

[abhishekshah]

Consciousness is the "is"-ness of anything that you are conscious of. I wasn't aware of the universe forming 14bn years ago, so it doesn't exist in consciousness. 14bn years passed since creation and I barely think a second might have passed. That is the power of consciousness. Without it, time has no meaning.

[fanboy]

very good video where you bring out different experts opinions