factual

Consciousness is an extra datum beyond observation

Beyond the data of observation and experiment, there is an additional datum—consciousness—known not through observation but through immediate first-person awareness of our own feelings; since you cannot see someone's experiences by looking inside their head, a theory aimed only at accounting for observation and experiment would never have reason to postulate consciousness, yet we know with Cartesian certainty that consciousness exists.

factualpending

Speaker

Philip Goff

Evidence Quote

we do know that consciousness exists. We know it from our immediate awareness of our own feelings and experiences. In fact, I think Descartes was right that the reality of consciousness is known with a greater certainty than anything about the external world.

Source

71 | Philip Goff on Consciousness EverywhereSean Carroll's Mindscape
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:10:44 AM

My Notes

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