Subvolts take Consciousness might be fundamental, not emergent, challenging AI's path to sentience. Jun 29, 2026 - Developers
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Features a leading philosopher discussing consciousness and its implications for AI, offering a unique perspective.
How Modern Science Got Consciousness Wrong From the Start | Philip Goff
Audio streams from Craig S. Smith. Your place is remembered on this device.
From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Philip Goff, a philosopher and panpsychism advocate, discusses his view that consciousness is a fundamental feature of reality, not just a brain byproduct. He argues modern science's separation of physics and subjective experience created an unresolved problem. Goff also explains why he believes current AI architectures cannot achieve consciousness, as it is more akin to physical substance than computation. The episode explores the evolutionary purpose of consciousness.
Philosopher Philip Goff suggests consciousness is a basic part of everything, like matter. He argues science wrongly separated mind and physical reality. This view makes him doubt current AI can ever be truly conscious, as it's built on computation, not fundamental reality.
This episode offers a philosophical perspective on consciousness, challenging conventional scientific views. It's for anyone interested in the fundamental nature of reality and the mind, including AI researchers and ethicists. Goff's skepticism about AI consciousness, rooted in his panpsychist framework, provides a counterpoint to common assumptions about LLMs achieving sentience. This contrasts with the frontier labs' focus on scaling models, prompting deeper questions about what consciousness truly entails.
- HostCraig S. Smith
- GuestPhilip Goffphilosopher, Durham University
- Guest: Philip Goff
- Title: How Modern Science Got Consciousness Wrong From the Start
- Show: Eye on AI
- Length: 61 minutes
- Goff's Argument: Consciousness is a fundamental feature of reality, not a byproduct of complex brains.
- AI Consciousness: Goff is skeptical current AI architectures can be conscious.
What if consciousness isn't a byproduct of complex brains, but a fundamental feature of reality itself, present, in some rudimentary form, all the way down to electrons and quarks? Philip Goff, a philosopher at Durham University and one of panpsychism's leading contemporary advocates, joins Craig Smith to make that case, arguing that modern science's founding move - separating the mathematical world physics studies from the subjective experience we know only from the inside - solved one problem while quietly creating another we've never resolved.
The conversation inevitably turns to AI: could a large language model ever be conscious? Goff's answer is a careful, well-reasoned no, not because he thinks consciousness is magical, but because his framework treats it as something closer to the physical substance of reality than an abstract computation, making him skeptical that anything resembling current AI architecture could cross that threshold. Along the way, he tackles one of the genuine open mysteries in his field: if natural selection only cares about behavior, why did evolution bother making us conscious at all, and what would it even mean to find experimental evidence for an answer.
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- panpsychism
- Philip Goff
- the idea that consciousness is a fundamental property of all matter, not just brains.
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Questions people ask
- What is panpsychism?
- Panpsychism is the view that consciousness is a fundamental feature of reality, present in some rudimentary form in all matter, from electrons to quarks.
- Can current AI become conscious according to Philip Goff?
- Goff believes current AI architectures are unlikely to become conscious because his framework views consciousness as akin to the physical substance of reality, not abstract computation.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Craig S. Smith.