Panpsychism - and why you should care The Traveller in the Evening

These are the Sons of Los, & these the Labourers of the VintageThou seest the gorgeous clothed Flies that dance & sport in summerUpon the sunny brooks & meadows: every one the danceKnows in its intricate mazes of delight artful to weave:Each one to sound his instruments of music in the dance,To touch each other & recede; to cross & change & returnThese are the Children of Los; thou seest the Trees on mountainsThe wind blows heavy, loud they thunder thro' the darksom skyUttering prophecies & speaking instructive words to the sonsOf men: These are the Sons of Los! These the Visions of EternityBut we see only as it were the hem of their garmentsWhen with our vegetable eyes we view these wond'rous VisionsWilliam Blake, Milton I 26:1-12, [E123]
Conor Kostick leads a discussion with Andy Wilson about panpsychism, a philosophy gaining popularity with its account of how awareness is baked into matter as a fundamental property from the outset. Conor and Andy discuss:
* the current popularity of panpsychism
* what its basic idea is
* the ‘composition problem’ in explaining consciousness
* Galileo’s idea of science
* hierarchies of consciousness
* animal consciousness
* the possibility of higher forms of consciousness
* cultural resistance to panpsychism


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