An important manifesto for a new science of consciousness, for readers of Daniel Dennett and David Chalmers
If we want a science of consciousness, we will have to rethink what 'science' is.
Understanding how brains produce consciousness is one of the great scientific challenges of our age. Some philosophers argue that the mystery is so deep it will never be solved. Others believe our standard scientific methods for investigating the brain will eventually produce an answer.
In Galileo's Error, Professor Philip Goff proposes a third way, arguing both approaches are wrongheaded: we struggle to explain consciousness because physical science, as we currently conceive it, is not designed to deal with the issue.
Explaining how Galileo's flawed philosophy of nature created the 'problem' of consciousness in the first place, Goff shows convincingly what we need to do to solve it.
Controversial, stimulating and ahead of its time, Galileo's Error is an important step towards a complete vision of reality.
About the Author
Philip Goff is a graduate of Reading University and a professor of philosophy at the University of Durham. He has been published in the Guardian, Aeon and Philosophy Now, among other publications.
Industry Reviews
This is one of the clearest accounts I've ever read about the mystery of consciousness, and the way in which one theory about it, panpsychism, does a great deal to explain how it occurs and what it is. Why shouldn't consciousness be a normal property of matter, like mass or electrical charge? This idea has the glorious simplicity of our first realisation that the earth goes around the sun, and not vice versa. Suddenly the universe appears in a new and much more revealing perspective. Philip Goff's book is altogether a splendid introduction to this fascinating idea.
In Galileo's Error, Philip Goff argues for a new approach to the scientific study of consciousness. He offers an accessible and compelling analysis of why our felt experience continues to elude scientific explanation and why the theories that describe consciousness as a fundamental feature of matter have been neglected-and why they now deserve serious consideration. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of consciousness studies. -- Annaka Harris, best-selling author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind
Goff's ideas are radical, but his arguments are rigorous and the book is a pleasure to read. I recommend it to anyone who wants to come to grips with mystery of consciousness. -- David Chalmers, New York University
In this provocative, brave and clearly written book, Goff makes a compelling case for an initially absurd thesis. -- Lee Smolin, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Galileo's Error is wonderful introduction to this ancient set of beliefs and how panpsychism can give rise to a naturalized form of spirituality that can overcome the alienation we all feel in today's globalized world that is beginning to fracture -- Christof Koch, President and chief scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science
