Philip Goff

I am a philosopher and consciousness researcher at Durham University, UK. My research focuses on how to integrate consciousness into our scientific worldview.

My first academic book, Consciousness and Fundamental Reality (Oxford University Press), was published in 2017 and my first book aimed at a general audience, Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, was published and is available from Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble IndieBound Apple Books.

I argue that the traditional approaches of materialism (consciousness can be explained in terms of physical processes in the brain) and dualism (consciousness is separate from the body and brain) face insuperable difficulties. On the basis of this I defend a form of panpsychism, the view that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the physical world. It sounds a bit crazy, but I try to show that it avoids the difficulties faced by its rivals.

I also write about religion and politics. I think it's a modern corruption to think religion has anything to do with belief. In terms of politics, I'm a vigorous opponent of neo-liberalism and a huge fan of taxation.