Feb 20, 2026
Prof. Philip Goff is a British philosopher, author, and professor at Durham University whose research focuses on philosophy of mind and consciousness. He was an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Central European University and the Department of Philosophy, University of Birmingham.
Philip is also the author of Galileo’s Error: A New Science of Consciousness, Consciousness and Fundamental Reality, and his most recent, Why? The Purpose of the Universe, is the touchstone for this episode.
We’re covering some lofty territory today: from the hard science of physics and cosmology to the deep waters of philosophy, religion, and the question of God.
Some highlights from the episode:
06:16 Framing the big questions: purpose, consciousness, and the value hypothesis
10:00 Fine-tuning theory: dark energy and the “casino” intuition
12:54 Meaning: Frankl, suffering, and why questions matter
16:52 Agency and teleology
24:18 Mystics and mystical experience across traditions
28:04 Consciousness and panpsychism
28:52 The ‘Why’ book tension: cosmic purpose, hope, and meaning
30:14 Returning to religion: becoming a ‘heretical Christian’
31:32 Meaning as beauty, gratitude, and ‘pronoia’
34:06 Scientism and other ways of knowing
37:47 Religion as social technology: community over doctrine
39:23 Orthodox mysticism + Anglican flexibility
41:19 Prayer: orientation vs. supplication
45:08 Meditation: creative energy without certainty
51:04 Reflections on affordances and enacted meaning
Quick note: at the very end of this episode I tacked on a short addendum. I share how this conversation actually landed for me.
Enjoy!