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David Skrbina

Panpsychism in the West (MIT Press) Paperback – January 26, 2007

by David Skrbina (Author)

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In Panpsychism in the West, the first comprehensive study of the subject, David Skrbina argues for the importance of panpsychism―the theory that mind exists, in some form, in all living and nonliving things―in consideration of the nature of consciousness and mind. Despite the recent advances in our knowledge of the brain and the increasing intricacy and sophistication of philosophical discussion, the nature of mind remains an enigma. Panpsychism, with its conception of mind as a general phenomenon of nature, uniquely links being and mind. More than a theory of mind, it is a meta-theory―a statement about theories of mind rather than a theory in itself. Panpsychism can parallel almost every current theory of mind; it simply holds that, no matter how one conceives of mind, such mind applies to all things. In addition, panpsychism is one of the most ancient and enduring concepts of philosophy, beginning with its pre-historical forms, animism and polytheism. Its adherents in the West have included important thinkers from the very beginning of Greek philosophy through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the present.

Skrbina argues that panpsychism is long overdue for detailed treatment, and with this book he proposes to add impetus to the discussion of panpsychism in serious philosophical inquiries. After a brief discussion of general issues surrounding philosophy of mind, he traces the panpsychist views of specific philosophers, from the ancient Greeks and early Renaissance naturalist philosophers through the likes of William James, Josiah Royce, and Charles Sanders Peirce―always with a strong emphasis on the original texts. In his concluding chapter, "A Panpsychist World View," Skrbina assesses panpsychist arguments and puts them in a larger context. By demonstrating that there is panpsychist thinking in many major philosophers, Skrbina offers a radical challenge to the modern worldview, based as it is on a mechanistic cosmos of dead, insensate matter. Panpsychism in the West will be the standard work on this topic for years to come.

Print length

314 pages
Language

English
Publisher

A Bradford Book
Publication date

January 26, 2007
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

1 x 5.75 x 8.75 inches
ISBN-10

0262693518
ISBN-13

978-0262693516
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Editorial Reviews

Review

--Freya Mathews, School of Philosophy, LaTrobe University, Australia

--Eric Lormand, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

--William Seager, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto at Scarborough

" Panpsychism is a rarely named but nevertheless perennial and influential subcurrent in the history of Western philosophy. David Skrbina does us a crucial service by offering a wonderfully comprehensive historical overview of an idea whose time is, perhaps, about to come." --Freya Mathews, School of Philosophy, LaTrobe University, Australia

" Skrbina argues that panpsychism is nearly everywhere in the history of philosophy of mind, a startling view we might call 'panpanpsychismism.' This rollicking history tour is detailed and complete enough both to school philosophers of mind and to provoke historians of philosophy of mind. In assembling many historical and contemporary arguments, it also sets the agenda for contemporary friends and foes of panpsychism." --Eric Lormand, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

" "Panpsychism in the West" provides a long overdue and much needed reexamination of this age-old doctrine, one which still retains some fascination for modern philosophy of mind. Skrbina’ s brisk, no-nonsense approach reveals the amazing influence panpsychism has had throughout the history of philosophy as a persistent counterweight to the rise of mechanistic science and scientistic philosophy. This book will be of immense use to students and of great interest to anyone who cares to see the full range of philosophical opinion as it has evolved over the centuries." --William Seager, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto at Scarborough

& quot; Panpsychism is a rarely named but nevertheless perennial and influential subcurrent in the history of Western philosophy. David Skrbina does us a crucial service by offering a wonderfully comprehensive historical overview of an idea whose time is, perhaps, about to come.& quot; -- Freya Mathews, School of Philosophy, LaTrobe University, Australia

& quot; Skrbina argues that panpsychism is nearly everywhere in the history of philosophy of mind, a startling view we might call 'panpanpsychismism.' This rollicking history tour is detailed and complete enough both to school philosophers of mind and to provoke historians of philosophy of mind. In assembling many historical and contemporary arguments, it also sets the agenda for contemporary friends and foes of panpsychism.& quot; -- Eric Lormand, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

& quot; Panpsychism in the West provides a long overdue and much needed reexamination of this age-old doctrine, one which still retains some fascination for modern philosophy of mind. Skrbina& rsquo; s brisk, no-nonsense approach reveals the amazing influence panpsychism has had throughout the history of philosophy as a persistent counterweight to the rise of mechanistic science and scientistic philosophy. This book will be of immense use to students and of great interest to anyone who cares to see the full range of philosophical opinion as it has evolved over the centuries.& quot; -- William Seager, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto at Scarborough

"

"Skrbina argues that panpsychism is nearly everywhere in the history of philosophy of mind, a startling view we might call 'panpanpsychismism.' This rollicking history tour is detailed and complete enough both to school philosophers of mind and to provoke historians of philosophy of mind. In assembling many historical and contemporary arguments, it also sets the agenda for contemporary friends and foes of panpsychism."--Eric Lormand, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

""Panpsychism in the West" provides a long overdue and much needed reexamination of this age-old doctrine, one which still retains some fascination for modern philosophy of mind. Skrbina's brisk, no-nonsense approach reveals the amazing influence panpsychism has had throughout the history of philosophy as a persistent counterweight to the rise of mechanistic science and scientistic philosophy. This book will be of immense use to students and of great interest to anyone who cares to see the full range of philosophical opinion as it has evolved over the centuries."--William Seager, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto at Scarborough

"Panpsychism is a rarely named but nevertheless perennial and influential subcurrent in the history of Western philosophy. David Skrbina does us a crucial service by offering a wonderfully comprehensive historical overview of an idea whose time is, perhaps, about to come."--Freya Mathews, School of Philosophy, LaTrobe University, Australia

As Skrbina shows in this book, panpsychism is one of the oldest of all philosophical doctrines extant and was put forth by the ancient Greeks, in particular Thales and Plato. Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz who laid down the intellectual foundations for the Age of Englightenment argued for it, as did Arthur Schopenhauer, William James, the father of American psychology, and the Jesuit and paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin. Skrbina's volume gives a great introduction to this doctrine and its reception in the west, from ancient times until today.--Christof Koch

As Skrbina shows in this book, panpsychism is one of the oldest of all philosophical doctrines extant and was put forth by the ancient Greeks, in particular Thales and Plato. Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz who laid down the intellectual foundations for the Age of Englightenment argued for it, as did Arthur Schopenhauer, William James, the father of American psychology, and the Jesuit and paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin. Skrbina's volume gives a great introduction to this doctrine and its reception in the west, from ancient times until today.

--Christof Koch

Review

Panpsychism in the West provides a long overdue and much needed reexamination of this age-old doctrine, one which still retains some fascination for modern philosophy of mind. Skrbina's brisk, no-nonsense approach reveals the amazing influence panpsychism has had throughout the history of philosophy as a persistent counterweight to the rise of mechanistic science and scientistic philosophy. This book will be of immense use to students and of great interest to anyone who cares to see the full range of philosophical opinion as it has evolved over the centuries.

―William Seager, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto at Scarborough

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ A Bradford Book; 1st edition (January 26, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0262693518
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262693516
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 5.75 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,764,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Clear, Challenging and Provocative

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2006

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An outstanding piece of work that shows that philosophy CAN be a lot more interesting than watching paint dry!

The deanimation of Nature was a great sleight of hand of the Enlightenment. There is progressively more evidence that the notion that the whole Universe is comprised of nothing but cleverly arranged inanimate objects is fundamentally flawed. This fine book does not present us with a definitive answer or solution: it is rather an examination of the concept that Mind exists in some form throughout the phenomenal world and beyond it. It emphasizes that this apparently heretical concept is a legitmate field of inquiry.

This book is well written and deserves a wide readership, particularly amongst those who have enjoyed the insights of Ken Wilber, Ervin Laszlo and Christian de Quincey. I wish that it would also be read by some of my friends and colleagues in the scientific community, but I fear that is a vain hope!

26 people found this helpful

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n.b

A well-laid course

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2017

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An excellent review of a subject that once you get to know is hard to remain neutral on! I felt like I was participating in a lecture course and the work was well paced.
Skrbina presents a developed historical review and remains on-track without glossing important topics. A knowledgeable reader will be rewarded but not taxed and a novice might find themselves led to a rather glorious conclusion.

5 people found this helpful

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Tam Hunt

Wonderful introduction to a necessary worldview

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2009

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Skrbina presents a masterful history of panpsychism and its more modern cousin, panexperientialism. He also provides solid arguments of his own as to why the universe we dwell in is very likely panexperiential. His book, with David Ray Griffin's Unsnarling the World-Knot (which I came to by reading Skrbina's book) provided me the inspiration and intellectual arsenal to write my own book challenging the prevailing "crude materialism" of our times. Highly recommended reading for laymen and academics.

11 people found this helpful

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Historical Jesus nut

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2018

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A remarkable book on an overlooked phenomenon.

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Robert Benfatto

Did I say boring ....

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017

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Boring. Interesting subject made boring. Read Spinoza or Seneca instead.

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a customer

Magical subject treated with a technical writing bent.

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2014

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For such a rich topic, a very dry academic treatise. You can skip the first chapter and nothing is lost.

One person found this helpful

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Steven Eardley

Politically-motivated marginalization of panpsychism

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2017

This is an excellent book. My main problem with it is that it presents panpsychism as a purely philosophical problem. Actually, the principal attacks against these ideas have been politically motivated. The main panpsychic philosophers of the Renaissance--Telesio, Patrizi, Bruno and Campanella--all ran into major problems with the Inquisition. The Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation was being run by the Dominican Order, which followed the Aristotelianism of Aquinas, and made his Summa Theologica the test of orthodoxy. Neoplatonism was now a heresy. There were other contributing reasons for this change. If the Indians of the New World didn’t have souls (as it was argued at the time), then slavery was not immoral. This fit in well with the cynical aims of the European states. The Church renewed their attacks on Hermeticism, Neoplatonism and the mystical Protestantism during the 1620’s with an aggressive campaign to paint the Rosicrucians as Satanists. These attacks opened up one of the worst witch hunts in European history. In more modern times the attacks against Neoplatonism by Karl Popper, as solipsistic and irrational as they are, have been well-received. One should never forget that the Academy, under its superficial mantle of watered-down Marxism, is profoundly Christian, and still sees human beings as the only things on the planet with souls. Steve Eardley, PhD History of Science

7 people found this helpful

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San Diego Deiss

Towards a Science of Consciousness - oops, Reset!

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2005

This book is an excellent introduction to Panpsychism. It gives lots of detailed history and clarifies the issues up to recent debates. I highly recommend it, especially for tough minded scientists and other true believers.

Science has had a hard time finding a focus for mind and awareness under its microscope. After a decade of having the spotlight of science on this subject area, there is still no agreement even on what consciousness is, and that is the self admission of the leaders in the field of consciousness studies.

It's my (lonely) view that science as now understood is not up to this task, is not itself well understood, and that a radical change of view and approach is needed to place mind in nature. My long standing openness to Panpsychism has recently led to incorperating it into an integrated view of nature. This view requires better "nontranscendental" science.

There are other recent voices who would approach this through quantum mechanics, emergence etc. etc. With the historical emphasis of this book, I dont think it had the scope for an in-depth coverage of what has been happening the past 25 years related to Panpsychism. My hope is that Skrbina is working on a sequel to clarify the current state of the art in addition to working on his own solutions in his research interests.

21 people found this helpful

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