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Philip-goff
Philip Goff

The Oxford Debates: Is Consciousness Everywhere?

Philip Goff and David Papineau Chaired by Stephen Law

Monday, 1 April 2019

12:00pm

1 hour

Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre

£8 - £13.50

Philosopher and consciousness researcher Philip Goff and philosophy professor David Papineau debate the nature of consciousness and whether it is actually all around us not just between our ears.

We are conscious beings. We have many conscious experiences – from the taste of a cup of coffee, to seeing a beautiful red sunset, to feeling elated, or depressed. But what is consciousness? What has science revealed about consciousness? Are your conscious experiences something physical – such as brain states or processes? Or is consciousness something non-physical – perhaps residing in some sort of immaterial soul? Goff and Papineau explore the puzzle of consciousness and look particularly at a radical view defended by Goff – panpsychism: the view that consciousness is actually everywhere in the universe, and not just between our ears.

Goff is a philosopher and consciousness researcher at Durham University. He is author of Consciousness and Fundamental Reality and has recently finished a book aimed at a general audience, Galileo’s Error: A New Science of Consciousness.

Papineau is professor of philosophy at King’s College London. He is the author of nine books, including Introducing Consciousness, Thinking about Consciousness, and Knowing the Score.

Discussions are chaired by Dr Stephen Law, philosopher, editor of The Royal Institute of Philosophy Journal Think – Philosophy for Everyone and author of The Philosophy Gym and The Complete Philosophy Files.

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