Why? The Purpose of the Universe, Philip Goff
Why? The Purpose of the Universe, Philip Goff
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Why? The Purpose of the Universe

Author: Philip Goff

Narrator: Philip Goff

Unabridged: 8 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/26/2023

Synopsis

Why are we here? What's the point of existence? On the "big questions" of meaning and purpose, Western thought has been dominated by the dichotomy of traditional religion and secular atheism. In this pioneering work, Philip Goff argues that it is time to move on from both God and atheism. Through an exploration of contemporary cosmology and cutting-edge philosophical research on consciousness, Goff argues for cosmic purpose: the idea that the universe is directed towards certain goals, such as the emergence of life.

In contrast to religious thinkers, Goff argues that the traditional God is a bad explanation of cosmic purpose. Instead, he explores a range of alternative possibilities for accounting for cosmic purpose, from the speculation that we live in a computer simulation to the hypothesis that the universe itself is a conscious mind. Goff scrutinizes these options with analytical rigor, laying the foundations for a new paradigm of philosophical inquiry into the middle ground between God and atheism. Ultimately, Goff outlines a way of living in hope that cosmic purpose is still unfolding, involving political engagement and a non-literalist interpretation of traditional religion.

About Philip Goff

Philip Goff is professor of philosophy at Durham University. His research focuses on consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality. Goff is best known for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness pervades the universe and is a fundamental feature of it. On that theme, Goff has published three books, Consciousness and Fundamental Reality, Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, and a coedited volume, Is Consciousness Everywhere? Essays on Panpsychism. Goff has published many academic articles, as well as writing extensively for newspapers and magazines, including Scientific American, the Guardian, Aeon, and the Times Literary Supplement.

Reviews

Goodreads review by John on July 04, 2023

Starts off with an elucidation of pan-psychic non-theistic purpose as Goff's argument, ends up with a defense of higher taxation in the West. Left me rather baffled. Most of this book sticks to the titular topic, but then the philosophy professor seeks to encourage those world reform by economic red......more

Goodreads review by Linards on August 04, 2024

In the acknowledgements section of Why? Phillip Goff expresses gratitude to the theoretical physicist and philosopher Sean Carroll for helping him with the physics side of the book. In one of his own books, Carroll wrote that “the world stubbornly refuses to give us any direct answers about the bigg......more

Goodreads review by Declan on January 14, 2025

Goff's metaphysical views are very weird but certainly interesting. The book was well put together and I really enjoyed it; his arguments against materialism were impressively strong, most notably the fine-tuning arguing in chapter 2. The final chapter, despite its unexpected digression into economi......more

Goodreads review by Ethan on June 10, 2024

3.5 stars. Great example of public philosophy. Most interesting to me were his non-theistic critiques of reductionist metaphysical materialism. I think that panpsychism is probably the future for those who find strict materialism untenable while not being convinced by the truth of theism. I suspect......more

Goodreads review by Craig on March 10, 2024

This 'mixed bag' of a book was being heavily promoted at one of Oxford's finest bookshops in December 2023. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas; the bookshop was warm and dry, and the pile of books was so inviting that I could not resist adding it to the six other books I had been tempted......more

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