This conversation centers around the many ways the term ‘consciousness’ is used in science, philosophy and everyday life. We also discuss cognitive processes, empathy, the meaning of life, the inevitability of death & Bernardo’s metaphysical idealism.
The first time someone asked me if I knew philosopher Bernardo Kastrup, they introduced him as ‘very famous but very controversial.’ This fame and controversy comes from his eloquent insistence that all reality is essentially mental, which is what he calls analytic idealism. This form of metaphysical idealism is the subject of this conversation and we start with a strange loop—discussing how conscious experience might be another way of discussing our own ‘consciousness of our consciousness.’
Whether you are listening to this as Bernardo’s biggest fan or as someone who does not share his views or as someone who has never heard these terms before, there is no denying that he has thought very deeply about these subjects. He communicates about them with a clarity and passion that shows how much he cares for the wider tree as well as its apple blossoms. Though we start the talk with some pretty heavy philosophy, Bernardo and I do get around to discussing how these views relate to real life, and how this view has changed his way of being in the world. We all have something to give and, at the same time, we are all just blossoms on the ever-growing tree of life.
“I would be honored to be called an apple blossom” he told me later, when I suggested naming this episode ‘Bernardo Kastrup is an Apple Blossom.’ That feels like a very healthy response indeed from a famous and controversial philosopher.
Enjoy!
The Scientific American Article we discuss at the beginning.
Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell
Bernardo Kastrup
03:02 Intro
08:08 Metaconsciousness
19:11 Personal Experiences & Consciousness
25:07 Metacognition, Evolution of Physicalism
50:51 Mistake of Ultimate Belief
51:43 Misconceptions
52:28 Neuroscience & Hallucinations
53:15 Consistency of False Beliefs
53:33 UnReality, Controlled Hallucinations
56:00 Materialism vs. Idealism
01:07:28 Role of Dissociation
01:17:16 Physicalism & Idealism
01:31:12 Consciousness & Reality
01:40:45 Unified Field of Subjectivity
01:42:44 Living Philosophy
01:42:57 Empathy, Challenges
01:44:27 Fear of Death & Psychedelic Insights
01:46:06 Meaning & Acceptance 01:47:02 Judgment & Neutrality
02:02:51 Impersonal in Me
02:18:58 Bouncer of the Heart
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