Episode 152, 'God, Consciousness, and Fundamental Reality' with Philip Goff, David Godman, and Miri Albahari (Part I - The Debate)

Feb 8, 2026

Guest

Miri Albahari

Guest

David Godman

Guest

Philip Goff

Miri Albahari, scholar of Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta bringing experiential analysis. David Godman, author and Ramana Maharshi specialist offering lived-teacher perspective. Philip Goff, philosopher of consciousness and panpsychism. They debate whether the divine is separate or non-dual, the role of mystical presence, and how suffering, fine-tuning, and religious practice shape competing views of ultimate reality.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Fine-Tuning Points Toward Purpose

Philip pairs mystical testimony with the fine-tuning of physics as evidence for a purposive mind behind reality.
He resolves the problem of evil by positing a benevolent but limited-power creator who made the best possible universe.

INSIGHT

Advaita: Brahman As Non‑Dual Ground

David Godman presents Advaita: non-dual reality where Brahman alone is ultimately real and distinctions are illusory.
In Advaita, individual selves and God as a separate entity are manifestations within Brahman, not ultimate realities.

INSIGHT

Consciousness Is Timeless And Primary

Advaita treats consciousness as timeless, not produced by brain processes, and not merely 'what it's like' to be something.
Liberation yields abiding awareness of unlimited consciousness beyond personal limitations.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

The supreme being of classical theism is unlimited in power, knowledge, and goodness – a being distinct from the world, who creates it out of nothing and governs it from beyond. On this picture, we are not identical with God. God's consciousness is not our consciousness – and our identity is not theirs.

That picture has long been challenged by schools of Hindu philosophy and, more recently, by Western philosophies of religion that reject traditional conceptions of God. In response to the problem of evil, some philosophers now argue that if there is a creator, then that creator must be limited in power. Advaita's challenge is more radical. It doesn't just revise the traditional conception of God – it dissolves it. Where classical theism draws a sharp distinction between God and the world, Advaita says that reality is non-dual. The divine is not something separate from us or from the universe, but the underlying reality that appears as both.

To explore these competing visions of the supreme being, reality, and our place within it, I'm joined by three guests. Returning to The Panpsycast for the fifth time is Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. As listeners will remember, Philip is the author of several brilliant books – including Galileo's Error and, more recently, Why? The Purpose of the Universe. David Godman is a leading author, best known for his work on the Hindu sage, Sri Ramana Maharshi. And last but not least, Miri Albahari is Senior Lecturer at The University of Western Australia – where her work explores the metaphysics and epistemology of Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta.

What is gained – and what is lost – when God is no longer unlimited, or is no longer separate from the world? Can these alternatives still ground mind, meaning, and morality? And by what means could we come to know such a reality – and decide between these rival conceptions of God?

This episode is generously supported by The John Templeton Foundation, through The Panpsychism and Pan(en)theism Project (62683).

Links

Philip Goff, Website

David Godman, Website

Miri Albahari, Website