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Philip Goff — Exploring Consciousness and Non-Abnormal Faith, Galileo’s Error, Panpsychism, Heretical Concepts, and Therapeutic Perception (#805)

April 22, 2025
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“Panpsychism is the view that consciousness goes all the way in which right down to the basic constructing blocks of actuality.”
— Philip Goff

Philip Goff (@Philip_Goff) is a professor of philosophy at Durham College. His principal analysis focus is consciousness, however he’s involved in many questions on the character of actuality. He’s most identified for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness is a basic and ubiquitous function of the bodily world. Fifteen years in the past, panpsychism was laughed at, if it was considered in any respect. Goff has led a motion that has made panpsychism a mainstream place, taught to undergraduates and extensively mentioned in tutorial journals.

Goff is the writer of Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness and Why? The Function of the Universe. He has revealed 50 tutorial articles and has written extensively for newspapers and magazines, together with Scientific American, The Wall Road Journal, The Guardian, Aeon and the Instances Literary Complement.

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Philip Goff — Exploring Consciousness and Non-Abnormal Faith, Galileo’s Error, Panpsychism, Heretical Concepts, and Therapeutic Perception

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Need to hear how author and producer Michael Schur introduced philosophy to prime time along with his critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place? Take heed to our dialog right here, through which we talk about how performing stay comedy is like Roman gladiator fight, the F = ma of sitcom writing, rare-book accumulating, what qualifies the legitimacy of a thinker, two philosophers Michael would select to have on velocity dial for his personal private instruction, worthwhile failures, why we must always all attempt to higher perceive ethics, and way more.

What was your favourite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know within the feedback.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Join with Philip Goff:

Web site | Thoughts Chat (Podcast) | Twitter | Bluesky

The transcript of this episode will be discovered right here. Transcripts of all episodes will be discovered right here.

Books, Publications, and Written Works

Folks

  • Gareth Cook dinner: Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who interviewed Philip for Scientific American.
  • Annaka Harris: Writer, pal of Philip, sympathetic to Panpsychism.
  • Roger Penrose: Nobel Prize-winning physicist, proponent of quantum consciousness theories.
  • Stuart Hameroff: Scientist who collaborated with Penrose on consciousness theories.
  • Kurt Gödel: Logician identified for incompleteness theorems.
  • Christof Koch: Neuroscientist concerned in consciousness analysis, made a wager with Chalmers, related to IIT.
  • David Chalmers: Thinker identified for work on consciousness, made a wager with Koch, proponent of Panpsychism, writer of Actuality+.
  • Giulio Tononi: Neuroscientist, key determine in Built-in Data Principle — IIT.
  • Max Planck: Physicist, father of quantum concept, quoted on consciousness being basic.
  • Galileo Galilei: Scientist pivotal within the scientific revolution, mentioned for separating consciousness from bodily science.
  • David Presti: Neuroscientist at UC Berkeley, editor of Thoughts Past Mind.
  • Steve Jurvetson: Enterprise capitalist mentioned relating to quantum computing (Tim Ferriss Present #317).
  • Bertrand Russell: Thinker and logician, key affect on Philip, proponent of concepts foundational to fashionable Panpsychism, writer of Why I Am Not a Christian.
  • Charles Darwin: Biologist, used as a comparability for Russell’s impression.
  • Arthur Eddington: Scientist who confirmed Einstein’s concept, labored on consciousness/Panpsychism with Russell.
  • Albert Einstein: Physicist, creator of the speculation of basic relativity.
  • Isaac Newton: Physicist whose concept of gravity was up to date by Einstein.
  • Stephen Hawking: Physicist, writer of A Transient Historical past of Time.
  • William James: Thinker and psychologist, main affect on Philip, identified for Styles of Non secular Expertise and The Will to Consider.
  • Karen Armstrong: Historian of faith, writer of The Case for God.
  • Meister Eckhart: Christian mystic.
  • William Lane Craig: Christian thinker and apologist debated by Philip.
  • Dale Allison: Biblical scholar identified for work on the resurrection.
  • Jesus: Central determine of Christianity, additionally known as Yeshua.
  • Tom Holland: Historian, writer of Dominion.
  • William Shakespeare: Playwright.
  • Bertram: Character in Shakespeare’s All’s Nicely That Ends Nicely.
  • Helena: Character in Shakespeare’s All’s Nicely That Ends Nicely.
  • Origen: Early Christian theologian identified for allegorical interpretation.
  • Thomas Aquinas: Thinker and theologian, talked about as initially radical.
  • St. Francis of Assisi: Christian saint related to mysticism and nature.
  • Thomas Merton: Trappist monk and mystic author.
  • Brian Muraresku: Writer of The Immortality Key.
  • Bart Ehrman: Atheist Bible scholar talked about relating to early Christian experiences.
  • St. Peter: Apostle of Jesus talked about relating to resurrection experiences.
  • Mary Magdalene: Follower of Jesus talked about relating to resurrection experiences.
  • Thomas Nagel: Thinker, writer of Thoughts and Cosmos.
  • Richard Dawkins: Biologist and distinguished atheist.
  • Nick Bostrom: Thinker identified for the simulation speculation.
  • John Hawthorne: Thinker talked about for work on teleological legal guidelines.
  • Daniel Nolan: Thinker talked about for work on teleological legal guidelines.
  • Blaise Pascal: Mathematician and thinker identified for Pascal’s Wager.
  • Thomas Bayes: Mathematician, originator of Bayes’ Theorem.
  • David Hume: Thinker identified for skepticism, challenged by Bayes relating to miracles.
  • John Maynard Keynes: Economist, quoted on altering one’s thoughts.
  • Constantine: Roman Emperor related to Christianity’s rise.
  • Socrates: Historical Greek thinker, used as a comparability for Bohr’s charisma.
  • Niels Bohr: Physicist, pioneer of quantum mechanics.
  • Knut Nordby: Late neuroscientist, skilled shade scientist who was colorblind.
  • Eugene Wigner: Nobel Prize-winning physicist who explored consciousness in quantum mechanics.
  • W.Ok. Clifford: Mathematician and thinker talked about by William James relating to perception and proof.
  • Joanna Leidenhag: Panpsychist theologian.
  • Plato: Historical Greek thinker.
  • Joe Rogan: Podcaster who interviewed Philip.
  • Luke Roelofs: Thinker, panpsychist who believes every little thing is aware.
  • Angela Mendonovici: Thinker talked about as a secular panpsychist.
  • Hedda Hassel Mørch: Thinker talked about as seeing consonance between Panpsychism and spirituality.
  • Itai Shani: Thinker talked about as seeing consonance between Panpsychism and spirituality.
  • A.J. Jacobs: Writer and journalist identified for his immersive journalism and experiments in residing.
  • Hafez: Persian Sufi poet.
  • Jalal al-Din Rumi: Persian Sufi poet.
  • Haleh Liza Gafori: Efficiency artist, translator, vocalist, poet, and musician.
  • David Yaden: Scientist, writer of The Styles of Religious Experiences.
  • Stanislas Dehaene: Neuroscientist related to International Neuronal Workspace Principle.
  • Erwin Schrödinger: Physicist identified for the Schrödinger equation and thought experiment.
  • Gottlieb Frege: Logician and thinker who labored with Russell.
  • Kelvin McQueen: Thinker who explored consciousness’s function in quantum mechanics with Chalmers.

Ideas (Philosophy/Faith/Spirituality)

Ideas (Science/Math/Psychology)

  • Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems: Mathematical theorems displaying limits of provability in formal programs, with deep implications for arithmetic and logic.
  • Predicate Logic: A department of formal logic incorporating quantifiers, variables, and predicates to specific relationships and make inferences about objects.
  • Microtubules: Mobile buildings in neurons’ cytoskeleton proposed by some theorists to play a task in consciousness via quantum processes.
  • Neural Correlates of Consciousness (NCC): The minimal neural programs ample for particular aware experiences, forming a key analysis program in neuroscience.
  • Built-in Data Principle (IIT): Scientific concept proposing that consciousness emerges from advanced built-in data programs within the mind.
  • Phi: Measure of built-in data utilized in IIT to quantify the quantity of consciousness in a system.
  • Schrödinger Equation: Basic equation in quantum mechanics describing how quantum states evolve over time.
  • Schrödinger’s Cat: Schrödinger’s well-known thought experiment in quantum mechanics that’s concurrently type and unkind to a feline frenemy.
  • Superposition: Quantum mechanical precept the place particles exist in a number of states concurrently till measured.
  • Born Rule: Basic rule in quantum mechanics that determines chance distributions of measurement outcomes.
  • Common Relativity: The geometric concept of gravitation revealed by Albert Einstein in 1915.
  • Cosmological Fixed: The only potential rationalization for darkish vitality, utilized in the usual mannequin of cosmology generally known as the ?CDM mannequin.
  • MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors): Class of chemical substances that inhibit monoamine oxidase enzymes, utilized in antidepressants and located in ayahuasca.

Motion pictures

Establishments and Organizations

Occasions

Related Assets

SHOW NOTES

  • [00:00:00] Begin.
  • [00:06:24] What’s panpsychism?
  • [00:11:19] Frequent misunderstandings about panpsychism.
  • [00:16:08] Roger Penrose and quantum consciousness.
  • [00:17:26] Gödel’s incompleteness theorem.
  • [00:19:22] The challenges of scientific consensus on consciousness.
  • [00:21:35] Built-in Data Principle (IIT).
  • [00:27:17] What early quantum pioneers like Max Planck and Niels Bohr considered consciousness.
  • [00:33:15] Defining consciousness and qualia.
  • [00:35:41] Galileo’s Error: How science eliminated consciousness from research.
  • [00:41:03] Materialist vs. panpsychist.
  • [00:43:30] The neuroanatomical seat of consciousness debate.
  • [00:45:41] Scientific challenges across the public remark of consciousness.
  • [00:50:35] Exploring potential payoffs and moral concerns of determining consciousness.
  • [00:57:01] How digital actuality reminded Philip to understand odd actuality.
  • [01:00:31] Bertrand Russell and William James as philosophical heroes.
  • [01:02:05] Science appears mum on the matter of matter.
  • [01:06:53] William James and mystical experiences.
  • [01:09:20] Philip’s journey as a “heretical Christian.”
  • [01:19:23] Why Philip left Christianity at age 14.
  • [01:20:20] Rediscovering mystical traditions inside Christianity.
  • [01:31:41] Karen Armstrong on the fashionable corruption of spiritual perception.
  • [01:33:56] Is true perception a prerequisite for constructing a neighborhood via faith and having fun with its therapeutic advantages?
  • [01:48:40] Psychedelics and numinous experiences.
  • [01:51:36] Sufism and mystical poetry.
  • [01:56:10] Renaming conventional spiritual phrases for broader accessibility.
  • [02:01:09] The potential resurgence of faith and new religious actions.
  • [02:05:42] Philip’s billboard.
  • [02:08:36] Parting ideas.

MORE PHILIP GOFF QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Panpsychism is the view that consciousness goes all the way in which right down to the basic constructing blocks of actuality.”
— Philip Goff

“Don’t begin from ‘What do I need?’ Begin from ‘How can I contribute?’ I feel happiness flows from that.”
— Philip Goff

“The way in which the phrase ‘consciousness’ is standardly used, I feel in each science and philosophy, it simply means subjective expertise. Your consciousness is simply what it’s prefer to be you.”
— Philip Goff

“I’m not right here saying, ‘Oh, that is the one true religion you’ve acquired to imagine.’ … I’m involved in completely different experiments in residing, and I feel there’s a means of participating faith that maybe not everyone seems to be absolutely conscious of.”
— Philip Goff

“Bodily science doesn’t actually inform us what matter is … finally, at base, physics simply offers us mathematical construction. And so in a way, physics doesn’t care what matter is, it doesn’t care what bodily actuality is, it simply cares what its mathematical construction is.”
— Philip Goff

“We don’t know if we are able to get consciousness out of physics, however we all know we are able to get physics out of consciousness.”
— Philip Goff

[On the integrated information theory:] “The proposal is that on the precise second when a system has extra built-in data in the entire than within the components, that’s when the lights come on. That’s once you get consciousness.”
— Philip Goff

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