Panpsychism

Etymology

From Greek "pan" (all) and "psychē" (soul, mind). The term was coined by the Italian Renaissance philosopher Francesco Patrizi in the 16th century, and it names the claim that mind goes "all the way down" rather than emerging only in brains.

noun · /pan-SY-kiz-um/
The view that consciousness or mind is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of reality, present even in the smallest bits of matter.
What it names
A handle for a once-fringe answer to the mystery of consciousness that has re-entered serious debate — reach for it when a discussion asks where mind could possibly come from.
Example
Frustrated that neurons alone can’t explain experience, some philosophers flirt with panpsychism and grant a flicker of mind to matter itself.
Related idea
It rejects strict materialism, which treats mind as a late, complex arrangement of mindless matter rather than a basic ingredient of the world.