18Forty Podcast Philip Goff: Consciousness, Mysticism, and God [Mysticism III 2/3]
Dec 16, 2025
Join philosophy professor Philip Goff, a leading voice in panpsychism, and Rabbi Eli Rubin, a scholar of Jewish mysticism, as they explore the entwining realms of consciousness and spirituality. Goff explains how traditional science overlooks subjective experience and argues for panpsychism as a solution. Rubin connects Kabbalistic ideas to Goff’s theories, highlighting divine immanence and cosmic unity. Together, they discuss the credibility of mystical experiences, the purpose of life, and how mystical insights can inspire social action.
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Mind Isn't Captured By Brain Descriptions
- Physicalist descriptions of neural electrochemical processes omit subjective qualities like redness or pain.
- Knowing brain activity doesn't explain the felt qualities that constitute consciousness.
Panpsychism Reverses The Explanatory Order
- Panpsychism flips the explanatory order: start with consciousness to derive the physical.
- It extends consciousness progressively to simpler entities, treating the universe as pervaded by experience.
From Catholic Childhood To Philosophical Return
- Philip Goff recounts being raised Catholic and rejecting belief at 14 before later returning to religion.
- That personal arc shaped his openness to mysticism and panpsychism.
