For most, the universe appears divided: on one side (objective) matter, on the other (subjective) consciousness and experience. But how the two are related is completely unclear because they appear as totally different phenomena. My soul is not a slimy gray lump after all!

Whether consciousness or matter is primary in the universe, or if they are two aspects of the same reality, is a colossal unresolved philosophical problem. But science seemingly assumes philosophical materialism: the universe is fundamentally material. Consciousness then becomes a deviation from the natural order because traditional sciebce is unable to explain how consciousness can arise from matter.

That means that one cannot explain why consciousness exists in some types of matter (our brain), but not in a flower? Or in a planet?

Could it be that consciousness is integrated into everything from the start? As philosophy professor Philip Goff writes in his latest book: The universe is itself a conscious mind? (He lectures about this at the festival).

This so-called "panpsychism" is a type of philosophy of consciousness that is gaining more and more traction. It claims that consciousness is an integral part of the universe, that everything fundamentally possesses mental properties. Every atom has a tiny component of consciousness (microconsciousness), and when matter comes together in larger systems (like a brain), more advanced consciousness emerges (macroconsciousness).

Critics argue that this is an unprovable pseudoscience, while others believe it provides a philosophically robust solution to the consciousness vs. matter problem.

In the panel:

Hedda Hassel Mørch is a philosopher and associate professor at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.She was a postdoc at University of Oslo, and Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at New York University. She is a regular visitor at Center for Sleep and Consciousness at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Mørch is a proponent of panpsychism and especially Giulio Tononi’s Integrated Information Theory.

Philip Goff is a philosopher and consciousness researcher who works as a professor at Durham University, UK. He has written lots of popular and academic articles, and his most recent book is the critically acclaimed Why? The Purpose of the Universe (Oxford University Press, 2023). Goff is an active debater, writer and communicator, and also co-hosts the podcast Mind Chat.