Religious Panpsychism: The Ecological Stakes of Sacralizing the Earth
Journal of Consciousness Studies June 1, 2026 DOI: 10.53765/20512201.33.5.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Dualism Modernity Soul Worship Ecological crisis Hierarchy Earth classical element Consciousness Holism Environmental ethics Epistemology Deep ecology Mind–body problem Balance of nature |
| Key points | Argues that panpsychism offers a philosophical cure for the pathologies of Western dualism by reanimating matter and resacralizing the Earth, leading to a religious transformation of worship into environmental care. |
Abstract
In this time of ecological crisis, it is essential to recognize the conceptual framework that has facilitated the expropriation of the non-human world. Mind–body dualism must be held accountable for justifying a hierarchy of values that placed the immaterial soul and culture over and against the material body and nature. Today panpsychism is the most promising philosophy to provide a cure for these pathologies of western dualism. Matter has thus come to be understood as possessing the very mental properties attributed in modernity to the soul. In this article I will draw out the religious implications of such a panpsychist position, since the reanimation of matter intrinsic to ecological panpsychism is inspired by a resacralization of the sentient Earth. Whether we adopt a panentheist or a pantheist position, both of these panpsychist religions express a cosmic vocation in transforming worship of God into care for our awe-inspiring planet.