Minding creation: theological panpsychism and the doctrine of creation

Human consciousness is the greatest mystery of the universe, but are creatures the only ones who can appreciate God’s creation? What if consciousness is spread more widely across all things? In Minding Creation, Joanna Leidenhag explores the idea that consciousness is a fundamental feature of the universe from the perspective of a Christian doctrine of creation. Panpsychism is a theory of consciousness that can be found in the theology of figures such as Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine of Hippo, Gottfried von Leibniz, Teilhard de Chardin and John Milbank, and has found contemporary philosophical support from significant scholars such as Thomas Nagel, Galen Strawson, and David J. Chalmers. However, until now there has been no substantial examination of what implications this theory of consciousness may have for theological debates concerning God’s presence and action, evolution and the origin of the soul, human uniqueness and the environmental crisis. The theological panpsychism that Leidenhag argues for suggests that God created a universe from nothing that is filled with indwelling powers, sacramental value, and intrinsic experience. This is a creation in which the Holy Spirit is internally present at every point, a creation that worships God, and a creation that human beings must protect and lead in praise.