Network Panpsychism: A Metatheoretical Framework of Networked Consciousness and Its Cosmic Function

The enduring challenge of the "hard problem" of consciousness lies in explaining how physical processes give rise to subjective experience. This paper proposes and defends Network Panpsychism, a comprehensive metatheoretical framework designed to reframe this problem by synthesising core elements of traditional Panpsychism, Functionalism, and Integrated Information Theory (IIT). Network Panpsychism posits that (1) consciousness, or proto-consciousness, is a fundamental property of information-processing structures, where experience is constitutive of information processing itself; (2) individual conscious entities are nodes within hierarchically integrated networks termed 'Psychospheres', a structure that effectively resolves the combination problem by replacing the logic of mereological aggregation with one of network integration; and (3) subjective experience (qualia) is not an epiphenomenon but possesses a teleological function: to facilitate high-fidelity information transfer and maintain stability within complex, nested cosmic systems. We argue that this framework provides a more coherent, unified, and empirically suggestive account of consciousness, bridging the explanatory gap and offering novel pathways for future research across philosophy, cognitive science, and physics.