Panpsychism: Listening Without Ears
Panpsychism is the doctrine that everything in the universe of made up of mind-stuff and possesses consciousness. It’s not a new concept — it’s an actually extremely old one. It brings into question where we draw the line at who experiences consciousness and, upon answering that, what it actually is.
We notoriously judge experiences based on things we have run into in the past. Our brains are wired to find patterns, comparing what is happening in our current moment with something that’s happened before, to create a narrative of the world so that we may better survive.
The problem with this system arises when we try to understand something completely new that we have no reference for. It may be human nature to misunderstand or discredit another organism's experiences purely because we don’t understand, even with close friends and family. It’s easy to slip into a misunderstanding with them when we don’t see their side of the story. By relying on that point of reference, we’re not just performing an injustice on those we care about; we also close doors to the possibilities of the world around us.
How Do Snakes Hear Without Ears?
Take a moment and picture a cobra in your mind. They’re pretty fierce creatures. Steve Irwin would’ve called them gorgeous as they spat venom at his face. Black-hooded cobras are actually pretty good aims. They know to shoot for the eyes and will do if they are situated in the middle of the back.
It’s a real shame that they are frequently captured, fangs ripped from their skulls, and made to chase the end of a flute. We’ve been told they are ‘dancing,’ and as adults, I think we all know that's not what they are doing. They are actually targeting their identified threat.
Even if they wanted to dance to the rhythm being played to them, those cobras don’t experience it the same way that you or I would. Snakes don’t have ears the way that we have a traditional understanding of ears. The pits behind their eyes are actually vibrational pits. These vibrational pits can create the sensation of hearing for them, but is that truly hearing? We have no idea what that kind of auditory system would be like. But we can confidently say that it is their form of ‘hearing.’
Many common animals have differences in their sensory systems. Take, for example, our friendly neighborhood bat. They swoop and dash through the night, eating hundreds and thousands of pesky bugs. While they have eyes, they aren’t what they use to navigate the dark world. We’re probably familiar with how bats create a map of their world using clicks. They can ‘see’ through the use of echolocation. Dolphins also use echolocation to see through murky waters or to find fish hiding below a sandy surface. We don’t deny that they can see because it’s different than our own experience; we recognize that it’s a different experience and give it the validation that it is just as real.
So the same way snakes can hear without having ears and the way that bats can see in the pitch black of night; is it such a stretch that consciousness is experienced in its own way through the unique qualities that something is gifted with? Of course, it won’t look like the way we experience it; other organisms have evolved different systems and perceptions. But they can still experience consciousness based on those systems and their place in their ecosystem. Our perceptions of reality are experienced differently, but it doesn’t discredit one experience versus another.
What is NOT Consciousness?
So I hear you. What about rocks, then? Are they complaining when we are walking over them? Can they decide to wake up, acknowledge they’ve become too round, and it’s time to lose the extra granite?
When we think about consciousness, we think about it in the same way that we think about sight or sound; as it relates to our perception. This is part of the reason why the question of if animals experience consciousness hung over our heads for so long, or, more simple, even if they have feelings or not. But of course, they do, and of course, they are. As we’ve learned more and evolved socially, we can recognize that animals experience emotions. It may not be the same as our own, but it doesn’t take away from it. So what then for the things we share this planet with that aren’t what we would call living?
Is consciousness something without a heartbeat? Plants release chemicals in anticipation of being consumed. If that’s just some type of manufactured triggered, how is it different from any of your reactions to being too cold or touching something hot?
Can it only be seen through the response to a stimulus then? People that have been in a coma can’t react and seem to be completely unconscious. Still, they have awoken with memories of what’s happened around them even though it didn’t seem like they had any experience or response to the stimuli at that time they initially occurred.
We will probably never know what it means for a rock to contain consciousness. As of now, we can deduce that there is nothing that they contain that can produce the experience of perception or stimulus-response, but that doesn’t discredit that it’s not there in some form relative to its unique structure. An enjoyable way to think about rocks in terms of consciousness is to think about our liver. It’s part of our system, doing its designated job to keep the main body operating. What would consciousness look like there? At what point does your consciousness end in your body? Is it easy to think it resides in the head because your eyes are placed there, and it’s how we ‘see’ the world? Maybe the rocks and mountains contain the same consciousness that organs do since they are part of the exquisite realities of the beautiful planet we live on.
Two hundred years ago, we were still questioning if the Earth was at the center of the universe. It’s alright not to have all the answers right now, but what’s more important is to not completely write off the possibilities.
So Why Does Panpsychism Matter?
Consciousness is a blanket that incorporates all of the universe, all of our lives, the ground we walk on, the stars above us, down to the cells within us. It weaves itself through everything, connecting us all, allowing us to influence our future, physically connecting us with things, people, and events miles away, and laying the bedrock for our spirituality and spiritual experiences.
If panpsychism is nothing more than an interesting idea and makes you look at your liver and plants a different way, then so be it. Go outside and look at the flowers and the insects. The bee is conscious. The plant is conscious. The plant and bee are separate entities, but without the other, neither would survive, much like the organs in your body. We’re part of our ecosystem and part of the greater consciousness around us. If nothing more, contemplating panpsychism can serve as a beautiful reminder of the magic that thrives around us and that is so easy to miss when we are running about our daily lives. Let it serve as a reminder to stop and smell the flowers. Or to marvel at the miracle of our existence and wonder about our place in our greater ecosystem.
