Hylotheism is the belief that matter and spirit are inseparably united in all things. Synonyms for hylotheism include panpsychism, the doctrine that all matter has consciousness; animism, the attribution of a soul or spirit to inanimate objects; and vitalism, the theory that living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or life force. Other related terms include hylopathism, which emphasizes the role of matter in determining the nature of spiritual entities, and panentheism, the view that the divine is present in all things, but is not identical to them.