Summary of Philip Goff's Galileo's Error

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Consciousness is the ground of our identity and a source of great value. It is the only thing we know for certain is real. Without it, the universe would still be awe-inspiring, but without a conscious mind to appreciate its majesty, there is no value in the existence of all that stuff.

#2 The fact that we are conscious beings is the most certain thing in the world, and yet we have been unable to incorporate this fact into our scientific understanding of the world.

#3 The track record of physical science in explaining everything else is impressive. But the track record of physical science in explaining consciousness is dismal. Many scientists and philosophers take this to be good evidence that, in spite of current disappointments, neuroscience will one day crack the mystery of consciousness.

#4 The problem of explaining the origins of life was solved by the insight that complex organisms emerge from complex systems. The problem of explaining the origins of consciousness was solved by the theory of natural selection, which explained how complex life emerges.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822528819

IRB Media

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Insights on Philip Goff's Galileos Error

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Consciousness is the ground of our identity and a source of great value. It is the only thing we know for certain is real. Without it, the universe would still be awe-inspiring, but without a conscious mind to appreciate its majesty, there is no value in the existence of all that stuff.

#2

The fact that we are conscious beings is the most certain thing in the world, and yet we have been unable to incorporate this fact into our scientific understanding of the world.

#3

The track record of physical science in explaining everything else is impressive. But the track record of physical science in explaining consciousness is dismal. Many scientists and philosophers take this to be good evidence that, in spite of current disappointments, neuroscience will one day crack the mystery of consciousness.

#4

The problem of explaining the origins of life was solved by the insight that complex organisms emerge from complex systems. The problem of explaining the origins of consciousness was solved by the theory of natural selection, which explained how complex life emerges.

#5

Modern science has shown that our common sense notions of the world are often wrong. However, there is one thing that science could never show is that consciousness does not exist.

#6

The reality of one’s feelings and experiences is immediately known in such a way that their existence cannot be doubted. The basic reality of consciousness is a datum in its own right.

#7

Before the twentieth century, scientists had taken it for granted that space and time are different things. But it was a radical reimagining of nature when