The Lotze–Ward Project: A Defense of Antinaturalism and Panpsychism

This chapter explores Hermann Lotze’s influence on James Ward through the lens of their grand metaphysical project, which I call the Lotze–Ward Project. This project aims to undermine naturalistic prejudices in favor of Cartesian dualism and materialism, and to advocate for a robust form of panpsychism, namely pure mentalism (or “spiritualistic monism”). According to pure mentalism, the fundamental constituents of reality appear material but are, in fact, purely mental. Drawing on Leibniz, Lotze and Ward conceive of these constituents as very simple individual minds or “monads.” The chapter begins by examining Ward’s intellectual relationship with Lotze, reconstructs the core elements of the Lotze–Ward project, and concludes with a brief overview of its reception within the Cambridge school.