Hylopathism
Encyclopedia
Hylopathism, in philosophy
, is the belief that some or all matter is sentient or that properties of matter in general give rise to subjective experience. It is opposed to the assertion that consciousness results exclusively from properties of specific types of matter, e.g. brain tissue.
despite notable differences between the two views that are evident in the etymologies of the two words: "panpsychism" derives from the Greek pan, "all", and psyche, "soul" or "mind" (the terms consciousness and experience being preferred in philosophy), and implies the sentience of all things; hylopathism derives from hylo-, which is translated either as "matter" or "wood" depending on its context, and whose English equivalent is hyle
, and pathos, "emotion" or "suffering" (and, by extension, experience). Hylopathism is thus not necessarily a belief in the universality of sentience, but rather in the derivation of sentience from matter.
, in his popular and controversial series His Dark Materials
, builds on what is arguably a hylopathistic explanation of consciousness insofar as "Dust", which is referred to throughout the series, is made up of "conscious particles" that "don't interact" with other things except in producing consciousness. One character, Mary Malone, calls them "shadows". Pullman relates these fictional particles to dark matter
.
"Our particles are strange little devils," she says, "make no mistake.... You know what? They're conscious. That's right. Shadows are particles of consciousness. You ever heard anything so stupid? No wonder we can't get our grant renewed."
The ideas offered in Pullman's series are not identical with hylopathism, since only certain particles cause consciousness, rather than some property of all matter. Hylopathism is, however, a closer approximation than panpsychism
, since Dust is depicted as permeating all matter, although it does not give rise to consciousness in all objects in the same way.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, is the belief that some or all matter is sentient or that properties of matter in general give rise to subjective experience. It is opposed to the assertion that consciousness results exclusively from properties of specific types of matter, e.g. brain tissue.
Etymology and specific definition
The term is relatively uncommon even in philosophical discussion, and is often erroneously equated with panpsychismPanpsychism
In philosophy, panpsychism is the view that all matter has a mental aspect, or, alternatively, all objects have a unified center of experience or point of view...
despite notable differences between the two views that are evident in the etymologies of the two words: "panpsychism" derives from the Greek pan, "all", and psyche, "soul" or "mind" (the terms consciousness and experience being preferred in philosophy), and implies the sentience of all things; hylopathism derives from hylo-, which is translated either as "matter" or "wood" depending on its context, and whose English equivalent is hyle
Hyle
In philosophy, hyle refers to matter or stuff. It can also be the material cause underlying a change in Aristotelian philosophy. The Greeks originally had no word for matter in general, as opposed to raw material suitable for some specific purpose or other, so Aristotle adapted the word for...
, and pathos, "emotion" or "suffering" (and, by extension, experience). Hylopathism is thus not necessarily a belief in the universality of sentience, but rather in the derivation of sentience from matter.
Hylopathism in popular culture
Author Philip PullmanPhilip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
, in his popular and controversial series His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass...
, builds on what is arguably a hylopathistic explanation of consciousness insofar as "Dust", which is referred to throughout the series, is made up of "conscious particles" that "don't interact" with other things except in producing consciousness. One character, Mary Malone, calls them "shadows". Pullman relates these fictional particles to dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
.
"Our particles are strange little devils," she says, "make no mistake.... You know what? They're conscious. That's right. Shadows are particles of consciousness. You ever heard anything so stupid? No wonder we can't get our grant renewed."
The ideas offered in Pullman's series are not identical with hylopathism, since only certain particles cause consciousness, rather than some property of all matter. Hylopathism is, however, a closer approximation than panpsychism
Panpsychism
In philosophy, panpsychism is the view that all matter has a mental aspect, or, alternatively, all objects have a unified center of experience or point of view...
, since Dust is depicted as permeating all matter, although it does not give rise to consciousness in all objects in the same way.
See also
- panpsychismPanpsychismIn philosophy, panpsychism is the view that all matter has a mental aspect, or, alternatively, all objects have a unified center of experience or point of view...
- hyleHyleIn philosophy, hyle refers to matter or stuff. It can also be the material cause underlying a change in Aristotelian philosophy. The Greeks originally had no word for matter in general, as opposed to raw material suitable for some specific purpose or other, so Aristotle adapted the word for...
- Pathetic fallacyPathetic fallacyThe pathetic fallacy, anthropomorphic fallacy or sentimental fallacy is the treatment of inanimate objects as if they had human feelings, thought, or sensations. The pathetic fallacy is a special case of the fallacy of reification...
- The Force (Star Wars)
- Leibniz