Panpsychism, the idea that inanimate objects have consciousness, gains steam in science communities

[marmar]

Panpsychism, the idea that inanimate objects have consciousness, gains steam in science communities
An expanding notion of what "consciousness" is could have profound repercussions

By MATTHEW ROZSA
PUBLISHED JULY 23, 2021 4:09PM (EDT)


(Salon) Dr. Martin Picard is an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, specializing in both psychiatry and neurology. Together, expertise in these two fields suits one well to understanding the essence of what makes one human. Picard is particularly knowledgable about mitochondria, a structure found within nearly all cells that have a nucleus. They provide most of the chemical energy that cells use in their various biochemical tasks, and are sometimes likened to batteries.

Picard sees something else in mitochondria, too. Last year, he and a Swiss scientist named Dr. Carmen Sandi published a paper in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, which posited that mitochondria do not merely keep us alive, but in many ways, have lives of their own. And, perhaps, are even "social" creatures.

"Sociality has profound evolutionary roots and is observed from unicellular organisms to multicellular animals," Picard and Sandi write. "In line with the view that social principles apply across levels of biological complexity, a growing body of data highlights the remarkable social nature of mitochondria."

They continue: "Similar to individuals among social networks, mitochondria communicate with each other and with the cell nucleus, exhibit group formation and interdependence, synchronize their behaviors, and functionally specialize to accomplish specific functions within the organism. Mitochondria are social organelles."

Of course, if mitochondria are conscious beings, that would mean we have trillions and trillions of these brainless beings chilling throughout literally every cell of our bodies. That idea may seem absurd until you consider a scientific concept which could explain it: Panpsychism, or the idea that consciousness is inextricably linked to all matter and simply grows stronger as a physical object become more complex. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/07/23/panpsychism-the-idea-that-inanimate-objects-have-consciousness-gains-steam-in-science-communities/

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Mitochondria are not 'inanimate objects' ... this article presents a huge leap in logic ...

IIRC some common organelles are thought to have evolved separately as their own simpler, proto-organism type things, and eventually merged/were subsumed by more complex critters and made part of them.

So the idea that maybe some organelle including mitochondria exhibit some 'life-like' traits, including activities that seem to resemble 'decision-making', isn't that far-fetched.

But extending that to actual inanimate objects like rocks and shit?

I'm sorry but that's nonsense.

[Xoan]

3. +1

[myccrider]

4. +1000

[I_UndergroundPanther]

2. One interesting thing that

May be a form of panpsychism the shared delusion disorder where 2 or more people share the same delusion.

Wonder if people that share experiences can cross the individual mind barrier between people via matter.

[Igel]

5. Or perhaps panpsychism is precisely that.

A shared delusion disorder.

Mysticism by any other name ...