Emergence, Panpsychism, and Manifestation (Abhivyakti)

The paper proposes a model of 'manifestation' (abhivyakti) drawn from the Mahābhārata as an alternative to panpsychism and hard emergence. It first contextualizes the concept by examining relevant passages from the epic. It then explores contemporary panpsychism and interprets the Mahābhārata examples in that light. The argument concludes that the manifestation model accommodates cosmopsychism without contradicting emergence theory, while rejecting physicalism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper proposes the model of “manifestation” (abhivyakti) as an alternative to panpsychism while countering the model of hard emergence. First, it examines the passages from the Mahābhārata to contextualize the model of “manifestation” (abhivyakti). Second, it explores contemporary panpsychism and engages the examples from the Mahābhārata in this light. In conclusion, the paper advances the argument that the “manifestation” (abhivyakti) model accommodates cosmopsychism without contradicting the theory of emergence while rejecting physicalism.