Panpsychism presents the view that an organizing intelligence is basic and all around us in the natural world. Human and animal consciousness emerged as a result of this increasingly diverse and purposeful intelligence.
But plants and even inanimate objects, such as rocks and sand, inherently follow a certain pattern of intelligence. A plant will turn towards the sun for it’s beneficial rays. A tomato plant will emit signals comparable to pain when it is plucked or sliced.
“How Stuff Works” cites this example:
“According to researchers at the Institute for Applied Physics at the University of Bonn in Germany, plants release gases that are the equivalent of crying out in pain. Using a laser-powered microphone, researchers have picked up sound waves produced by plants releasing gases when cut or injured. Although not audible to the human ear, the secret voices of plants have revealed that cucumbers scream when they are sick, and flowers whine when their leaves are cut.”
This planet and others looked like a bunch of rocks when they first emerged. But people eventually grew from this big rock called Earth. The rocks were the platform for the development of life. But apart from that, rocks obey the laws of gravity and sand will move according to the tides.
The expression “dumber than a box of rocks” may not hold true if we examine the complex structure of a rock—even if it can’t talk to us.
It is very human-centric and egotistical to think that only people are capable of consciousness. It is about levels of complexity. The human consciousness has evolved, based on the fundamental intelligence of the entire universe. But we are the only ones who can talk about it. Dolphins, whales, dogs, horses, and other highly evolved animals demonstrate levels of perception that go beyond the human. They are just not equipped with the vocal apparatus combined with the capability of small mouth movements with the tongue to express what they perceive through nuanced words.
The amazing, essential intelligence of everything in the entire universe working together is difficult for us to grasp. We are fearful that we must control it all or somehow it will all go terribly wrong. In fact, we are not in control of the most fundamental movements of energy, driven by the principles that are at the heart of all that exists.
We are not in control of our pancreas, our digestive process, our blood circulation and most of our other biological processes. Just because we can think in a certain way, and express these thoughts in small mouth movements and sounds, does not mean we are the only conscious entities in this vast universe. We are a part of something that permeates everything behind the scenes. Some people call this organizing force “God.” But whatever label we put on it, it shows itself in all of nature and is a source of infinite awe and wonder!
But plants and even inanimate objects, such as rocks and sand, inherently follow a certain pattern of intelligence. A plant will turn towards the sun for it’s beneficial rays. A tomato plant will emit signals comparable to pain when it is plucked or sliced.
“How Stuff Works” cites this example:
“According to researchers at the Institute for Applied Physics at the University of Bonn in Germany, plants release gases that are the equivalent of crying out in pain. Using a laser-powered microphone, researchers have picked up sound waves produced by plants releasing gases when cut or injured. Although not audible to the human ear, the secret voices of plants have revealed that cucumbers scream when they are sick, and flowers whine when their leaves are cut.”
This planet and others looked like a bunch of rocks when they first emerged. But people eventually grew from this big rock called Earth. The rocks were the platform for the development of life. But apart from that, rocks obey the laws of gravity and sand will move according to the tides.
The expression “dumber than a box of rocks” may not hold true if we examine the complex structure of a rock—even if it can’t talk to us.
It is very human-centric and egotistical to think that only people are capable of consciousness. It is about levels of complexity. The human consciousness has evolved, based on the fundamental intelligence of the entire universe. But we are the only ones who can talk about it. Dolphins, whales, dogs, horses, and other highly evolved animals demonstrate levels of perception that go beyond the human. They are just not equipped with the vocal apparatus combined with the capability of small mouth movements with the tongue to express what they perceive through nuanced words.
The amazing, essential intelligence of everything in the entire universe working together is difficult for us to grasp. We are fearful that we must control it all or somehow it will all go terribly wrong. In fact, we are not in control of the most fundamental movements of energy, driven by the principles that are at the heart of all that exists.
We are not in control of our pancreas, our digestive process, our blood circulation and most of our other biological processes. Just because we can think in a certain way, and express these thoughts in small mouth movements and sounds, does not mean we are the only conscious entities in this vast universe. We are a part of something that permeates everything behind the scenes. Some people call this organizing force “God.” But whatever label we put on it, it shows itself in all of nature and is a source of infinite awe and wonder!
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