Panpsychism and the concept of causal significance in Gregg Rosenberg’s theory of liberal naturalism
Philosophy of the History of Philosophy January 1, 2023 A. Tanyushina
Gregg Rosenberg's panpsychist concept of consciousness revises earlier versions of panpsychism to address mental causation and the combination problem. He proposes natural individuals defined by causal relations, where causal action consists of effective and receptive properties that impose restrictions on what the world can be, rather than producing effects. The real world emerges from a space of potentialities, with deterministic macro-individuals layered atop micro-individuals in indeterminate states, making them deterministic. Rosenberg's theory aligns with empirical science, including information integration in phenomenal experiences and relativistic space-time, and may help solve the 'hard problem' of consciousness and fundamental issues at the border of physics and metaphysics.