Inhibition and Interrelatedness

Ryan J. Holsapple’s (2025) Metaphysics of Soul, Universal Spirit, and Consciousness proposes an ontological idealism grounded in the primacy of Universal Spirit and the derivative localization of Soul. From the standpoint of the inhibitory model of consciousness (Favre, 2025), this commentary examines the implicit asymmetry of such metaphysical monism and argues that consciousness cannot be understood as purely integrative. Rather, it arises through the inhibitory, relational, and dialectical dynamics that sustain differentiation, regulation, and individuation. Drawing from Jungian theory, neuroscience, and relational cosmopsychism, this response explores the necessity of inhibition and interrelatedness as co-constitutive principles of consciousness, challenging the assumption that ontological integration alone can ground psyche and world.