Philosopher Philip Goff on Galileo Excluding Consciousness From Science | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Galileo's scientific revolution excluded consciousness from the study of the physical world, leading to a division between the quantitative domain of science and the qualitative domain of human consciousness.

Key Insights

• 🌍 Galileo separated the physical world's quantitative properties from the qualitative domain of consciousness.
• 🔬 Mathematics became the language of science, excluding the qualities of experience.
• ❓ Materialism cannot fully explain consciousness due to the descriptive and explanatory limitations of a purely quantitative language.
• ✊ Our current period of history mistakenly believes in the complete explanatory power of materialism.
• 🧠 Chemical reactions in the brain are correlated with conscious experiences, but they do not provide a full explanation.
• 🫵 The panpsychist view suggests that consciousness and chemicals are both fundamental and interconnected.
• 🧠 The question of which is more fundamental, brain activity or consciousness, remains unanswered.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did Galileo exclude consciousness from his scientific revolution?

Galileo believed that consciousness and qualities like color and taste were not inherent in the physical world, but rather in the consciousness of the observer. He separated the physical world's quantitative properties from the qualitative domain of consciousness.

Q: Can the chemical reactions in our brain explain consciousness?

While chemical reactions in the brain are correlated with certain conscious experiences, they do not provide a complete explanation. The descriptive and explanatory limitations of a purely quantitative language, like neuroscience, prevent it from capturing the full qualities of experience.

Q: Is it possible for consciousness and chemicals to coexist?

The panpsychist view suggests that consciousness and chemicals are both fundamental and go hand in hand. However, the question of which is more fundamental remains. Does consciousness explain brain activity, or does brain activity explain consciousness?

Q: How does the exclusion of consciousness benefit scientific study?

Excluding consciousness allowed for the success of mathematical physics in explaining the physical world. By focusing solely on quantitative properties that could be captured in mathematics, science made significant progress. However, it is important to recognize the limitations of this approach.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Galileo separated the physical world from consciousness, focusing solely on the mathematical and quantitative properties that could be captured in scientific study.

• The exclusion of consciousness allowed for the success of mathematical physics in explaining the physical world.

• However, this exclusion has led to a period of history where people mistakenly believe that materialism can fully explain consciousness.