Art Reboot

64 that can also be seen as a unit of consciousness, albeit of course, not yet human consciousness. Each was conscious only in the sense that it had sufficient ‘knowledge’ to be one particle rather than another. These units then combined, becoming more and more complex, forming atoms, elements, galaxies, solar systems, planets, life, and eventually the extraordinary complexity of human intelligence. This is essentially panpsychism, a theory of consciousness that has been around in various forms for a long time but is only very recently being taken seriously within the science of consciousness. I wasn’t aware of it until undertaking the final refinement of the present manuscript, but it is to be expected that overarching theories will arrive at similar conclusions. Pan- psychism posits a 13.8-billion-year evolution of the universe’s capacity for recognition and delight. The intellect prefers to see intention in the process; ego-driven intention permeates the self-conscious state so we find it difficult to imagine a world without it. But bear in mind that the intellectual phase of con- sciousness that gives rise to this view is no more than a polite burp in the cosmic breath of the universe, so it is hubristic to assume that the conclusions of human intelligence could encompass a universe of which we are only a minuscule and very recent part. But there is another useful conclusion to be drawn here that allows us to recognise the broader nature of creativity as the most important force at work in the universe. The universe is funda- mentally creative and the fuel for that creativity has always been energy, with or without original intention. Ever more complex