Books by Philip Goff
Philip Goff is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. His research focuses on consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality. Goff is best known for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness pervades the universe and is a fundamental feature of it. Goff’s books include Why? The Purpose of the Universe, Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, Consciousness and Fundamental Reality, and Is Consciousness Everywhere? Essays on Panpsychism. Goff has published many academic articles as well as writing extensively for newspapers and magazines, including Scientific American, the Guardian, Aeon, and the Times Literary Supplement.
“In Western philosophy, we are stuck in this dichotomy between the traditional god of Western Abrahamic religion or Dawkins-style atheism. Whose side are you on? Are you with Richard Dawkins or the Pope? I often find that when you’re talking to people, they’re trying to pigeonhole you in one of those categories. We often create these dichotomies – US capitalism or communist Russia? – as if it must be one or the other…I came to my current view while teaching philosophy of religion, which I was asked to do when I arrived at Durham University five years ago. In the standard undergraduate course, you teach the arguments against God, then you teach the arguments for God, and then the students have to decide which is more compelling and write their essay. I taught the arguments against God, from evil and suffering, and thought, ‘That’s compelling. There’s definitely no God.’ Then, I taught the arguments for God, particularly the fine-tuning argument, and I thought, ‘Actually, that’s compelling too. There’s definitely a God.’ Then I thought, ‘Oh my God – what’s going on here?’ Ultimately, I realised that these arguments are not in contradiction with each other. While the arguments against God argue against a particular conception of God – the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfectly good omni-God; the fine-tuning argument points to something much more generic –not a designer but some kind of cosmic goal directedness. If you go for cosmic purpose and not the omni-God, then you can have your cake and eat it. You can accept both arguments…A decade ago, I wouldn’t have imagined I’d be writing this book. I do feel silly defending cosmic purpose because it doesn’t fit with my peer group and the intellectual waters I swim in.” Read more...
The best books on Cosmic Purpose
Philip Goff, Philosopher
Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness
by Philip Goff
***🏆 A Five Books Book of the Year ***
“I think it’s a great book. He has real skill at explaining philosophical positions in an entertaining way, so that if you read this book, you’ll know quite a lot about contemporary philosophy of mind and you’ll pick it up quite effortlessly. I doubt you’ll be converted to panpsychism. I certainly haven’t been, but I don’t think that’s a flaw in the book.” Read more...
The Best Philosophy Books of 2019
Nigel Warburton, Philosopher
Interviews with Philip Goff
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1
Mind & Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False
by Thomas Nagel -
2
A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos
by Geraint Lewis & Luke Barnes -
3
Purpose in the Universe: The moral and metaphysical case for Ananthropocentric Purposivism
by Tim Mulgan -
4
God, Purpose, and Reality: A Euteleological Understanding of Theism
by John Bishop & Ken Perszyk -
5
Universes
by John Leslie
The best books on Cosmic Purpose, recommended by Philip Goff
The best books on Cosmic Purpose, recommended by Philip Goff
The likelihood that intelligent life would come to exist on Earth is so improbable, it’s time to re-explore the idea of cosmic purpose, argues Philip Goff, a professor of philosophy at the University of Durham and the author of Why? The Purpose of the Universe. He recommends five books that cast doubt on our post-Darwinian worldview and help us consider the latest findings of science and philosophy more fully.
Interviews where books by Philip Goff were recommended
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1
Becoming Beauvoir: A Life
by Kate Kirkpatrick -
2
Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher
by Armand D'Angour -
3
A Theory of Jerks and Other Philosophical Misadventures
by Eric Schwitzgebel -
4
Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness
by Philip Goff -
5
A Theory of the Aphorism: From Confucius to Twitter
by Andrew Hui
The Best Philosophy Books of 2019, recommended by Nigel Warburton
The Best Philosophy Books of 2019, recommended by Nigel Warburton
We live in a golden age for philosophy books that are accessible to a wide audience. In the pages of even quite short books, we can find new ways of reflecting on who we are and how we should conduct ourselves in the world, as well as learn more about the brilliant thinkers who trod these paths before us. Our philosophy editor Nigel Warburton talks us through some of the best philosophy books that came out in 2019.
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1
Mind & Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False
by Thomas Nagel -
2
A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos
by Geraint Lewis & Luke Barnes -
3
Purpose in the Universe: The moral and metaphysical case for Ananthropocentric Purposivism
by Tim Mulgan -
4
God, Purpose, and Reality: A Euteleological Understanding of Theism
by John Bishop & Ken Perszyk -
5
Universes
by John Leslie
The best books on Cosmic Purpose, recommended by Philip Goff
The best books on Cosmic Purpose, recommended by Philip Goff
The likelihood that intelligent life would come to exist on Earth is so improbable, it’s time to re-explore the idea of cosmic purpose, argues Philip Goff, a professor of philosophy at the University of Durham and the author of Why? The Purpose of the Universe. He recommends five books that cast doubt on our post-Darwinian worldview and help us consider the latest findings of science and philosophy more fully.
