Search Results for: "Philip Goff"

Do electrons behave differently when they’re in brains? Sean Carroll takes Philip Goff apart on panpsychism

I’ve written a fair amount on this site about panpsychism,, the view that everything in the Universe, including electrons, rocks, and organisms, have a form of consciousness. The “conscious” molecules and atoms are supposed to combine, under certain unspecified and mysterious rules, into brains that have a higher-level consciousness.  Voilà: the “hard problem” of consciousness … Continue reading Do electrons behave differently when they’re in brains? Sean Carroll takes Philip Goff apart on panpsychism

Scientific American on a philosophical grift: panpsychism

Well, Scientific American has published an article that, while on a subject of questionable interest, is at least neither woke nor wrong. The topic is panpsychism, which the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines this way: Panpsychism is the view that mentality is fundamental and ubiquitous in the natural world. The view has a long and … Continue reading Scientific American on a philosophical grift: panpsychism

Sean M. Carroll shows that panpsychism is unlikely and unnecessary

I’m heartened to see that other scientists and philosophers of mind I respect, like Sean Carroll and Patricia Churchland, have analyzed the idea of “panpsychism” and found it wanting. As I noted yesterday, adding some of my own criticisms, panpsychism is somewhat of a philosophical fad (or even a religion). It claims that we’ll never … Continue reading Sean M. Carroll shows that panpsychism is unlikely and unnecessary

Panpsychism again?

The latest issue of Nautilus Magazine has a special issue on panpsychism, which means that I’m compelled to read and discuss several articles on this untestable and almost certainly false explanation for consciousness.  Just to refresh you, panpsychism is the view that humans are conscious (and perhaps other organisms) because the matter from which we … Continue reading Panpsychism again?

John Horgan on free will and superdeterminism

John Horgan’s opinion piece on the physics theory of “superdeterminism” (which we’ve encountered before in a video by Sabine Hossenfelder), and its relevance to free will, appeared in the latest Scientific American. Click to read the short piece: Although I had (and still have) trouble understanding superdeterminism, it is, as Horgan and Sabine explain, a … Continue reading John Horgan on free will and superdeterminism

Brian Greene: We don’t have free will: one idea in a wide-ranging book

Physicist Brian Greene published the book below in 2020, and it appears to cover, well, just about everything from the Big Bang to consciousness, even spiritually and death. Click image to go to the Amazon site: Some of the book’s topics are covered in the interview below, and its breadth reminds me of Sean Carroll’s … Continue reading Brian Greene: We don’t have free will: one idea in a wide-ranging book

Panpsychism hangs around like a bad penny

I’ve written a fair bit about panpsychism (see here for all the posts), and I don’t really feel in the mood to summarize the problems at length. Suffice it to say that it’s a “theory”—probably an untestable one, or maybe it’s better seen as a religion—that every bit of matter in the Universe has some … Continue reading Panpsychism hangs around like a bad penny

Tuesday: Hili dialogue

Welcome to the first “work” day of October: Tuesday, October3, 2023: National Soft Taco Day, a boon for those with dental issues. Here’s the difference if you don’t know: WOULD YOU RATHER? It's Taco Tuesday, and you are ordering from your favorite local Mexican restaurant. Would you rather hard shell or soft shell tacos? #WouldYouRather … Continue reading Tuesday: Hili dialogue