Panprotopsychism

Panprotopsychism is a philosophical view that attempts to bridge the gap between the physical and mental aspects of reality. It posits that consciousness is not an emergent property of complex matter, but rather that rudimentary forms of consciousness, or proto-consciousness, are fundamental constituents of the universe. These basic units of experience, often referred to as "proto-conscious properties" or "psychic elements," are considered to be intrinsically mental.

According to panprotopsychism, complex conscious entities, such as humans, arise from the combination and organization of these fundamental proto-conscious elements. This is in contrast to traditional physicalism, which suggests consciousness emerges solely from physical processes, and dualism, which posits a distinct non-physical mind. Panprotopsychism proposes that the physical world, at its most basic level, already possesses a primitive form of mentality.

The appeal of panprotopsychism lies in its potential to resolve the hard problem of consciousness, which questions how subjective experience can arise from purely objective physical matter. By making mentality a fundamental aspect of reality from the outset, panprotopsychism avoids the need for an explanation of its emergence. However, critics often raise questions about how these proto-conscious elements combine to form unified conscious experiences and whether the concept of proto-consciousness is empirically verifiable.