Here he challenges the notion of the individual as an isolated, subjective entity. In our depths, he claims we are connected with the universe at large at every level. He contrasts this transpersonal view with the notion popular in sociological circles that human identity is formed by the social power structures with which we interact. [...]

Panpsychism is the view that every whole entity in the universe, from the largest to the very smallest, possesses a measure of consciousness. Here he contrasts panpsychism with materialism, dualism, and idealism. Each of these philosophical positions is an ontology or description of reality. De Quincey points out that panpsychism seems to resolve logical problems [...]