Panpsychism; Sabine Hossenfelder doesn't believe in it (Evolution)

by dhw, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 10:51 (1509 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Her point is that the elementary particles combine to make atoms which combine to make molecules. Therefore molecules which make up everything don't produce panpsychism in things. But remember panpsychism could be a separate force field, much as I think we are alive in the field of God's consciousness.

dhw: My personal view is that I don’t need all the rigmarole about particles. I find it impossible to believe that inanimate objects ranging from a grain of sand to a rock to a man-made building to a star have even a rudimentary consciousness. On the other hand, I don’t see how it’s possible to believe in God and not believe in some form of panpsychism, but I also find it impossible to believe that consciousness can simply have existed for ever outside of materials. On the third hand, I don’t think it’s possible to disbelieve in God without believing that some unconscious materials at some point became conscious and evolved ever increasing degrees of consciousness. You have to have blind faith to believe in any of the theories about the origin of consciousness. But one of them must be true or close to the truth! The agnostic’s dilemma!

DAVID: Of course something in the list is the truth. Like any detective story there are clues to follow. The key is the complexity of life which requires design. Chance cannot work. That means there must be a designer. The next move is yours.

I accept the logic of that argument. Unfortunately, however, it raises as many questions as it answers, which is why even you have admitted that ultimately whatever you believe requires a leap of faith. I suspect I shall remain stuck on my agnostic’s fence till the “next move”, which will either be goodbye to everything or – if NDEs are anything to go by – hello to a new world! I can’t lose, though, because the life that I’ve had has been a wonderful experience in itself. Lucky me!