In Defence of Cosmopsychism: A Fundamental Approach to the Problem of Consciousness

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Dr Khai Wager (University of Oxford, UK)

In Defence of Cosmopsychism

A Fundamental Approach to the Problem of Consciousness

Dr Khai Wager (University of Oxford, UK)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic
13 November 2025

Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology; Philosophy of mind; Philosophy of religion; Cognition & cognitive psychology; States of consciousness

Is the cosmos itself conscious, and could our minds be aspects of its vast, overarching consciousness?

In this ambitious and original study, Khai Wager defends cosmopsychism, the view that the universe as a whole is conscious and that individual minds like ours derive from this cosmic consciousness. Wager situates cosmopsychism within what he calls the landscape of fundamental consciousness, bringing it into productive dialogue with closely related views such as panpsychism, panqualityism, and perennialism. The result is a fresh perspective on one of philosophy’s deepest puzzles: the nature and origin of consciousness.

The problem of phenomenal consciousness asks how subjective experience can emerge from non-conscious matter. Fundamental approaches reject the idea that consciousness arises from non-conscious matter, instead proposing that it is present at the most basic level of reality. Panpsychism—the most prominent such view—holds that all fundamental microphysical entities are conscious. This, however, leads to the combination problem: how do billions of micro-level minds combine to form distinct macro-level minds like ours? Cosmopsychism offers a radical alternative: rather than being formed from a combination of micro-level instances of consciousness, individual minds derive from a larger, cosmic-level consciousness. As a result, cosmopsychism sidesteps the combination problem entirely. However, a new and equally pressing challenge arises—the derivation problem: how do individual minds derive from the cosmic consciousness?

Through rigorous and insightful analysis, Wager argues that cosmopsychism can navigate these problems and offers a compelling alternative to both physicalism and panpsychism. As such, this first book-length treatment of cosmopsychism makes an illuminating contribution to debates about the nature of reality and our place within it.

By: Dr Khai Wager (University of Oxford UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781350508613
ISBN 10: 1350508616
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 13 November 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Mapping the Landscape of Fundamental Consciousness 2. A Blueprint for Cosmopsychism 3. Beyond Panpsychism and Cosmopsychism: Perennialism and Panqualityism 4. Subject Problems for Panpsychism and Cosmopsychism 5. Problems of Phenomenal Quality and Structure for Panpsychism and Cosmopsychism 6. An Account of Cosmopsychism Index

Khai Wager is Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Researcher Co-Investigator on the Non-Religious Spiritual Practice and the Well-Lived Life Project at the University of Oxford, UK.

Reviews for In Defence of Cosmopsychism: A Fundamental Approach to the Problem of Consciousness

'Panpsychism is one of the most promising ways to understand the place of mind in the cosmos. Mind did not mysteriously emerge from matter: Mind has always been there, it is located at the very origin of things. Consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the cosmos. Wager argues that the cosmos as a whole is the only fundamental concrete object. The consciousness of the cosmos is prior to smaller sub-cosmic consciousnesses. This ""priority monistic cosmopsychism"" is different from most versions of panpsychism discussed in the literature. But the book achieves much more than presenting a promising new theory. Wager covers the entire logical space of different forms of panpsychism in a concise and remarkably clear presentation. The reader will find this quite useful. It might well be the best synopsis of the varieties of panpsychism available today.' -- Godehard Brüntrup * Professor of Metaphysics and Philosophy, Munich School of Philosophy USA. *