Helen Beebee and Philip Goff chaired by Tilda Storey Law

Two leading philosophers of mind Professor Helen Beebee and Professor Philip Goff discuss the nature of consciousness and how we experience it.

Could machines (such as Data in Star Trek) or AI systems (such as Skynet in The Terminator) achieve consciousness? What would it take for such human-made devices to become morally responsible? We all know what it’s like, from the ‘inside’, to enjoy conscious experiences. But how, just by combining bits of physical matter – atoms and molecules – together in a certain way, does conscious experience emerge? Must there be consciousness already present in the atoms, as some (including Philip Goff) suggest? Might consciousness be, not just in our brains, but everywhere?

Beebee is a professor of philosophy at the university of Leeds and fellow of the British Academy. She is a former president of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS) and is currently chair of the editorial board of BSPS Open. She also recently authored a report on the underrepresentation of women in philosophy in the UK.

Philip Goff is a professor of philosophy at Durham University with a focus on philosophy of the mind and consciousness. Goff runs podcast and YouTube channel MindChat, where he explores philosophical debates of consciousness with guests. His most recent book, Why? The Purpose of the Universe, explores panpsychism as a third option to traditional religion or atheism.

Discussions are chaired by Tilda Storey Law.