Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Philip Goff is a philosopher who thinks consciousness pervades the universe. Keith Frankish is a philosopher who thinks consciousness* doesn't even exist. From their very different perspectives, Keith and Philip interview leading scientists and philosophers of consciousness, engaging and debating in a friendly way in pursuit of truth. Mind Chat aims to be highly accessible, allowing those with no background in science and/or philosophy to get a grip on the cutting edge of the field.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ consciousness debates: panpsychism, illusionism, materialism, dualism, idealism • hard problem, phenomenal consciousness, self • perception/predictive processing, extended mind • free will, agency, determinism • physics–mind links, emergence • reality, simulation, scientific realism • psychedelics, mystical experience • IIT, neuroscience of smellThis podcast is a conversational series about the philosophy and science of consciousness, hosted by two philosophers with contrasting starting points: one inclined toward views in which consciousness is fundamental and widespread, and the other skeptical that “phenomenal” consciousness is a real feature of the world. Episodes typically take the form of interviews or moderated debates with prominent philosophers, cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, and physicists, with an emphasis on making technical disputes accessible to listeners without specialist training.
Across the conversations, the central focus is what consciousness is, whether it can be explained in physical terms, and how (or whether) conscious experience connects us to an external reality. Listeners encounter major positions in contemporary philosophy of mind—materialism, dualism, strong emergence, panpsychism, idealism, illusionism, and theories that treat perception as a kind of construction or “controlled hallucination.” The show repeatedly returns to classic problems such as the “hard problem” of consciousness, the status of introspection and ordinary-language intuitions, and influential arguments like the knowledge argument, alongside contemporary empirical and theoretical work.
A recurring theme is the relationship between mind and world: whether perceptual experience tracks reality, whether reality might be computational or simulated, and whether physics constrains or leaves open certain metaphysical theories of consciousness. Related debates in philosophy of science also appear, including disputes about scientific realism versus instrumentalism and what it means to commit to the existence of theoretical entities.
The podcast also ranges into adjacent questions about agency and personhood, including whether free will is compatible with determinism and what kinds of causal powers would be required for genuine agency. Some discussions explore altered states and mystical experience—particularly what psychedelics might (or might not) reveal about mind and ultimate reality. Occasional host-led episodes broaden the scope to include personal and religious or existential reflections, while keeping the overall emphasis on careful argument, conceptual clarity, and friendly disagreement.
