In gesprek met Cornel du Toit oor ’n ontwaakte heelal in diskoerse oor panpsigisme

This article engages with Cornel du Toit's discussion of an awakened universe in panpsychist discourses, using panpsychism as its primary methodological framework. It argues that consciousness has often been dismissed as inferior in the philosophy of science. Drawing on Pieter Crafferd's work, it adopts a pragmatic approach and incorporates Margaret Cavendish's narrative to illustrate the importance of consciousness. Cavendish, a 17th-century figure, challenged male-dominated spheres through her utopian fiction and early feminist thought, as seen in works like The Blazing World, The Contract, and Assault and consequent chastity.

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Abstract

In conversation with Cornel du Toit about an awakened universe in discourses about panpsychism. This article employs panpsychism as its primary methodological framework. Consciousness has often been regarded as inferior regarding criticism and dismissal in the philosophy of science. Drawing on Pieter Crafferd’s influential work, The fabric(ation) of consciousness: A neuro-ecological perspective, this article adopts a pragmatic approach with a partially Cavendish’s narrative to illustrate the importance of consciousness. In this regard, panpsychism is presented as a valuable methodological perspective. Intra/interdisciplinary implications: Flamboyant, theatrical, and ambitious – Margaret Cavendish was one of the 17th century’s most remarkable figures. She challenged the male-dominated spheres of politics, science, philosophy, and literature. Her highly controversial work, The blazing world (republished in 1966), is an original work that combines utopian fiction with early feminist thought. It tells the story of a woman who is shipwrecked and transported to the blazing world, where she becomes empress and uses her authority to establish a society free from war, religious division, and unjust gender discrimination. The volume also includes The contract, a romance in which love and law function harmoniously together, and Assault and consequent chastity, which explores the power and freedom a woman may attain while assuming the guise of a man.