Pratyabhijñā Cosmopsychism: The Unity and Diversity of Consciousness
Philosophy East & West July 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1353/pew.2025.a965462 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the nondual Pratyabhijñā philosophical framework shows how cosmic consciousness is compatible with individual experience and may resolve the individuation problem for cosmopsychism. |
Abstract
Abstract:Objections to cosmopsychism based on incoherence or implausibility depend on assumptions about the nature of consciousness that we need not take for granted. The nondual Pratyabhijñā philosophers encourage us to examine our own phenomenal experience to reveal the multiplicity of subjectivities within unified consciousness. Using this framework, I explore how our faculties for imagination, action, and playful forgetfulness can make sense of our individual experiences as aspects of an essentially singular, foundational cosmic consciousness. I argue that cosmic consciousness is compatible with our everyday experience and that the capacity for consciousness to conceal itself may mitigate the individuation problem for cosmopsychism. The Pratyabhijñā may also help us understand how to recognize consciousness in others and consider why an all-encompassing cosmic mind might choose to present itself as alienated.