Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
*If consciousness can't arise simply by rearranging matter, where does it come from?* Alex O'Connor argues that radical emergence may not exist at all. If that's true, consciousness may not emerge from the brain but instead be fundamental to reality itself. He explains how Philip Goff and _Galileo's Error_ completely changed his thinking.
0:00 The Question of Fundamental Consciousness
1:50 Why Strong Emergence Cannot Explain Consciousness
4:22 Why Heat and Wetness Are Different from Consciousness
9:39 Why Consciousness May Exist at Every Level of Reality
12:27 How Philip Goff Changed Alex O'Connor's Thinking
14:09 Between Panpsychism and Idealism
Alex O'Connor, also known as CosmicSkeptic, is an English podcaster and YouTuber known for his long-form explorations of ethics, religion, and secularism. He hosts the _Within Reason_ podcast.
*Alex is going on tour in North America this November — get your tickets:* alexoconnor.com/p/tour
* YouTube: youtube.com/cosmicskeptic
* Instagram: instagram.com/cosmicskeptic
* Facebook: facebook.com/CosmicSkeptic
*More from Alex O'Connor on Closer To Truth:*
* Alex O'Connor | Closer To Truth: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfV4-HeDDzZw
* closertotruth.com/contributor/alex-oconnor
*Subscribe to Closer To Truth:* youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV
*Understanding Consciousness playlist:* youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJr3pJl27pJKWEUWv9X56y_ut3xwFDv1
*Landscape of Consciousness website:* loc.closertotruth.com
*Every Theory of Consciousness* — Robert Lawrence Kuhn interviewed by Alex O'Connor: youtube.com/watch?v=xHeT466-hxY
*Join the Community:*
* Membership (5,000+ videos): closertotruth.com/register
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* Support the Show: closertotruth.com/donate
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*Follow Us:*
* Facebook: facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV
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Closer To Truth, created and hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, presents the world's greatest thinkers exploring humanity's deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence and sentience. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.
#CloserToTruth #Consciousness #AlexOConnor #PhilosophyOfMind #Emergence
*If consciousness can't arise simply by rearranging matter, where does it come from?* Alex O'Connor argues that radical emergence may not exist at all. If that's true, consciousness may not emerge from the brain but instead be fundamental to reality itself. He explains how Philip Goff and _Galileo's Error_ completely changed his thinking.
0:00 The Question of Fundamental Consciousness
1:50 Why Strong Emergence Cannot Explain Consciousness
4:22 Why Heat and Wetness Are Different from Consciousness
9:39 Why Consciousness May Exist at Every Level of Reality
12:27 How Philip Goff Changed Alex O'Connor's Thinking
14:09 Between Panpsychism and Idealism
Alex O'Connor, also known as CosmicSkeptic, is an English podcaster and YouTuber known for his long-form explorations of ethics, religion, and secularism. He hosts the _Within Reason_ podcast.
*Alex is going on tour in North America this November — get your tickets:* alexoconnor.com/p/tour
* YouTube: youtube.com/cosmicskeptic
* Instagram: instagram.com/cosmicskeptic
* Facebook: facebook.com/CosmicSkeptic
*More from Alex O'Connor on Closer To Truth:*
* Alex O'Connor | Closer To Truth: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfV4-HeDDzZw
* closertotruth.com/contributor/alex-oconnor
*Subscribe to Closer To Truth:* youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV
*Understanding Consciousness playlist:* youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJr3pJl27pJKWEUWv9X56y_ut3xwFDv1
*Landscape of Consciousness website:* loc.closertotruth.com
*Every Theory of Consciousness* — Robert Lawrence Kuhn interviewed by Alex O'Connor: youtube.com/watch?v=xHeT466-hxY
*Join the Community:*
* Membership (5,000+ videos): closertotruth.com/register
* Audio Podcast: closertotruth.podbean.com
* Support the Show: closertotruth.com/donate
* Official Merchandise: bonfire.com/store/closertotruth
*Follow Us:*
* Facebook: facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV
* Instagram: instagram.com/closertotruth
* X: twitter.com/CloserToTruth
Closer To Truth, created and hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, presents the world's greatest thinkers exploring humanity's deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence and sentience. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.
#CloserToTruth #Consciousness #AlexOConnor #PhilosophyOfMind #Emergence
