"Panpsychism: A Theory Whose Time Has Come" with Phillip Goff
Aug 4, 2023
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Philip Goff, a philosopher known for his work on consciousness, defends panpsychism in this conversation. They discuss the hard problem of consciousness, materialist and dualist explanations, rival theories of consciousness, integrated information theories, global workspace theory, time and physics, artificial consciousness, and the purpose of the universe.
Panpsychism challenges materialism by asserting that consciousness is fundamental and gives rise to physical structures.
Materialism has made little progress in explaining consciousness solely through physical processes.
The global workspace theory suggests that consciousness arises from widely available information in the brain.
Deep dives
Panpsychism as an alternative to materialism
Panpsychism proposes that consciousness is fundamental and that physics and mathematical structures arise from underlying facts about consciousness. This challenges materialism, which seeks to explain consciousness in purely physical terms. Materialism has made little progress in explaining consciousness, while panpsychism offers an alternative approach.
The limitations of materialism in explaining consciousness
Despite decades of trying, materialism has not been successful in explaining consciousness solely in terms of physical processes in the brain. The fact that consciousness exists and cannot be easily denied makes it a particularly challenging phenomenon for materialist explanations. Materialism's reliance on purely quantitative, mathematical explanations excludes the subjective qualities of consciousness, such as colors, sounds, and smells.
Panpsychism and the role of consciousness in physics
Panpsychism asserts that consciousness is fundamental and that mathematical structures of physics arise from underlying properties of conscious entities. This challenges the materialist view that physics is the fundamental explanation for reality. Panpsychism proposes that the behavior of conscious entities gives rise to the mathematical structures described by physics, rather than the other way around. It suggests a reevaluation of the role of consciousness and the limitations of purely mathematical explanations in understanding the nature of reality.
Exploring the global workspace theory
The podcast discusses the global workspace theory, which suggests that consciousness arises from information that is widely available in the brain. This theory emphasizes the importance of the brain's integration and dissemination of information across various systems. It contrasts localized systems that regulate specific functions, like breathing, with more widespread systems that contribute to conscious awareness. This view suggests that what enters consciousness is information that is broadly accessible throughout the brain.
The challenge of explaining consciousness
The podcast highlights the philosophical and scientific challenges in understanding consciousness. It explores how scientific theories, like the integrated information theory and global workspace theory, aim to predict which brain activities are associated with conscious experiences, but do not provide a complete explanation for why consciousness emerges. It relies on philosophical considerations to evaluate different explanations, such as materialism, dualism, and panpsychism. The discussion also emphasizes the need to reconsider the traditional boundaries of science and explore the foundational role of philosophy in understanding consciousness.
Phillip is an advocate of a controversial but very interesting theory of consciousness known as panpsychism, and he defends it as well as I have ever heard it defended. However, before we get there in this conversation, we rehearse what may be familiar ground to some listeners. We talk about the hard problem of consciousness as opposed to the easy problems of consciousness. We talk about the problem with materialist explanations of consciousness. We talk about the problem with dualist explanations of consciousness. Phillip challenges my narrative about scientific progress in a really interesting way. We talk about the global workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness. We talk about the principle of parsimony in science and how it relates to rival theories of consciousness. And finally, we get to Phillip's case for panpsychism. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too.
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