Hylozoism
Philosophical doctrine which holds that all matter is alive / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Hylozoists" redirects here. For the Canadian band, see The Hylozoists.
Not to be confused with Panpsychism.
Hylozoism is the philosophical doctrine according to which all matter is alive or animated,[1] either in itself or as participating in the action of a superior principle, usually the world-soul (anima mundi).[2] The theory holds that matter is unified with life or spiritual activity.[3] The word is a 17th-century term formed from the Greek words ὕλη (hyle: "wood, matter") and ζωή (zoē: "life"), which was coined by the English Platonist philosopher Ralph Cudworth in 1678.