Episode #180 - What if everything is consciousness?
What if everything is consciousness?
This episode introduces the theory of panpsychism as a response to the “hard problem” of consciousness. Drawing from philosopher Philip Goff’s book Galileo’s Error, the discussion explores how modern science, may be inherently unequipped to fully explain consciousness. Panpsychism offers an alternative framework, suggesting that consciousness is a fundamental feature of all matter, existing even at the smallest scales. The episode traces the implications of this view—from reshaping environmental ethics and our concept of self, to the potential for new scientific approaches and reevaluations of artificial intelligence. Through interviews and thought experiments, the episode considers how adopting panpsychism could shift both our personal worldviews and broader societal values.
Further Reading:
Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness – Philip Goff (2019)
Panpsychism: The Philosophy of the Sensuous Cosmos – Peter Ells (2011)
Panpsychism in the West – David Skrbina (Revised Edition, 2017)
See the full transcript here.
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