Why? The Purpose of the Universe

For those reading from a theological or philosophical perspective, Goff con-fronts many of the perennially difficult themes related to "why": the meaning of the universe and of life itself, the validity of human experience and knowledge, evolution, artificial intelligence, divinity, the human soul, free will and sin, spirituality, dualism and monism, atheism and nihilism. What-ever the persuasion of the reader, he will find reasons to reconsider and re-formulate some of his standard responses to these questions.

Auteur
Philip Goff is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. His research focuses on consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality. Goff is best known for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness pervades the universe and is a fundamental feature of it. On that theme, Goff has published three books, Consciousness and Fundamental Reality, Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, and a co-edited volume, Is Consciousness Everywhere? Essays on Panpsychism. Goff has published many academic articles, as well as writing extensively for newspapers and magazines, including Scientific American, The Guardian, Aeon, and the Times Literary Supplement.

Texte du rabat

Why are we here? What's the point of existence? For those who are unsatisfied by the answers of traditional religion, and equally by the lack of answers from atheism, Philip Goff opens up a path between the two. He argues for cosmic purpose: the idea that the universe is directed towards certain goals, such as the emergence of intelligent life.

Résumé
Why are we here? What's the point of existence? On the 'big questions' of meaning and purpose, Western thought has been dominated by the dichotomy of traditional religion and secular atheism. In this pioneering work, Philip Goff argues that it is time to move on from both God and atheism. Through an exploration of contemporary cosmology and cutting-edge philosophical research on consciousness, Goff argues for cosmic purpose: the idea that the universe is directed towards certain goals, such as the emergence of life. In contrast to religious thinkers, Goff argues that the traditional God is a bad explanation of cosmic purpose. Instead, he explores a range of alternative possibilities for accounting for cosmic purpose, from the speculation that we live in a computer simulation to the hypothesis that the universe itself is a conscious mind. Goff scrutinizes these options with analytical rigour, laying the foundations for a new paradigm of philosophical enquiry into the middle ground between God and atheism. Ultimately, Goff outlines a way of living in hope that cosmic purpose is still unfolding, involving political engagement and a non-literalist interpretation of traditional religion.