Anselm on THAT, THIS, and panpsychism
Religious Studies: An International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion April 25, 2025 Tim Mulgan
This article reimagines Anselm's concept of God as 'that than which a greater cannot be thought' (THAT), exploring various interpretations including a creator God, a polytheist pantheon, or a single undifferentiated Absolute. It defends a principle of cosmic humility, arguing that to counter our tendency to overestimate our own importance, we should favor non-anthropomorphic interpretations of THAT. Humility supports plenitude about worlds and creatures, suggesting God creates many worlds containing all valuable creatures, and we should not expect to inhabit a cosmically special world. The article argues that cosmic humility supports panpsychism over dualism and materialism, concluding that we are probably insignificant creatures in a panpsychist world.