William MacManus

Logopsychism is introduced as an ontologically neutral theory of consciousness that posits its primary function as the ascription of subjective meaning. It shifts the discussion from what consciousness is to what consciousness is for. Its framework is built upon four axioms: (1) the universe is a source of infinite meaning potential; (2) consciousness is the structure through which meaning is ascribed to all events; (3) subjectivity interprets this meaning into potential lived experience; and (4) consciousness either accepts this interpretation or recursively layers new meaning until an acceptable condition is reached. Meaning can be layered and mapped on a three-dimensional plane along the axes of depth, breadth, and time. Logopsychism is presented as a supplemental theory that can be integrated into any account that recognizes meaning and subjectivity as integral to first-person experience.

This paper argues that contemporary theories of consciousness fail to adequately recognize the importance of subjectivity and meaning. A comparative analysis is conducted examining the major tenets of Logopsychism—consciousness, subjectivity, and meaning—against a range of materialist and non-materialist models of consciousness, evaluated along the axes of ontology and epistemology. I demonstrate that the teleological function of consciousness is the ascription of meaning to lived experience. This teleology represents the overlooked third axis in evaluating theories of consciousness. Finally, I will show that logopsychism is uniquely situated as a supplemental theory of consciousness that reintroduces the importance of meaning across all ontological models.