Is Universal Consciousness Fit for Ground?

Abstract

Abstract The Perennial Philosophy centres around what is said to be a recurring mystical insight: that our inherent nature is actually pure, unconditioned consciousness, identical to the ground of all being. Perennial Idealism, the name the author gives to a metaphysical system she has been building, extrapolates from the Perennial Philosophy to explain how the world could be configured if it were in fact true. Among the most serious challenges faced is that of articulating and defending the very notion that our world is grounded in universal consciousness. This chapter further develops a line of reply to what the author thinks are four major objections to the idea that universal consciousness grounds all being. The author calls these the Thales Objection, the Problem of the One and the Many, the Self-defeating Objection, and the Power Challenge.