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Single Idea 5711

[filed under theme 17. Mind and Body / A. Mind-Body Dualism / 3. Panpsychism ]

Full Idea

The earth is and always has been an insentient being.

Gist of Idea

The earth is and always has been an insentient being

Source

Lucretius (On the Nature of the Universe [c.60 BCE], II.658)

Book Ref

Lucretius: 'On the Nature of the Universe', ed/tr. Latham,Ronald [Penguin 1951], p.79


A Reaction

The fact that Epicurus needs to deny this shows that some idea close to panpsychism must still have been around in his time. He is discussing gods at the time, so maybe pantheism was the view being attacked, but that is a subset of panpsychism.


The 12 ideas with the same theme [all matter has a mental aspect to it]:

Wisdom and thought are shared by all things [Empedocles]
The earth is and always has been an insentient being [Lucretius]
Particles may have sensation, but eggs turning into chicks suggests otherwise [Lucretius]
That all matter thinks is absurd, and would make each part of our bodies a distinct self-consciousness [Bentley]
Every body contains a kind of sense and appetite, or a soul [Leibniz]
Something rather like souls (though not intelligent) could be found everywhere [Leibniz]
Leibniz has a panpsychist view that physical points are spiritual [Leibniz, by Martin/Barresi]
Nature contains a fundamental force of thought [Fichte]
Whatever is First must be sentient [Peirce]
Can phenomenal qualities exist unsensed? [Lockwood]
Brains aren't made of anything special, suggesting panpsychism [McGinn]
It is odd if experience is a very recent development [Chalmers]