Bernardo Kastrup on Idealism, Materialism, The Self, and the Connectedness of You and I
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
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In this episode Bernardo Kastrup explores the foundations of consciousness, arguing for analytical idealism over materialism and examining the nature of the self, free will, and morality. Curt and Bernardo debate a wide range of thinkers from Joscha Bach to Carl Jung, probing how reality might be a mental construct and what that means for meaning and purpose.
- 00:00:00 - Introduction
- 00:02:34 - Bernardo's journey from materialism to idealism
- 00:07:08 - Materialism vs analytical idealism
- 00:14:03 - Dissociative identity disorder and consciousness
- 00:19:20 - Why does life have separate consciousness?
- 00:29:14 - Meaning of "explain" without reductionism
- 00:30:25 - Starting with "nothing"? Theory outline
- 00:32:15 - What does "exist" mean? Do abstractions exist?
- 00:35:53 - Theories of truth beyond correspondence
- 00:47:56 - Randomness doesn't exist fundamentally
- 00:51:05 - If mind is deceptive, what do we trust?
- 00:57:44 - Is "Mind at Large" God? Can you pray to it?
- 01:01:07 - Morality and purpose
- 01:08:12 - Disagreements with Joscha Bach
- 01:12:30 - Disagreements with Daniel Dennett
- 01:17:37 - Disagreements with Dawkins
- 01:19:43 - Disagreements with Douglas Hofstadter
- 01:36:18 - If everything is "in the mind" why do objects influence us?
- 01:38:56 - Disagreements with Donald Hoffman and Thomas Campbell
- 01:44:01 - Distinction between "in your head" and "in your mind"
- 01:54:39 - Disagreements with Carl Jung
- 01:57:44 - Disagreements with Roger Penrose
- 01:59:56 - Why parsimony in assumptions?
- 02:06:52 - Curt says Bernardo's theory isn't better than FSM
- 02:13:48 - On Schopenhauer
- 02:19:30 - How to properly read Jung
- 02:25:11 - Bernardo and Curt on "new age" and "woo"
- 02:31:00 - On Deepak Chopra
- 02:36:53 - Does Bernardo fear death? (ego death story)
- 02:49:17 - If reality is a "dream", how much can we control it?
- 02:54:29 - Choice, free will, and becoming a slave voluntarily
- 02:56:40 - The intellect is a bouncer of the heart
- 02:58:08 - East vs West answers to suffering
- 03:02:20 - The "self" is an illusion worth saving
- 03:06:02 - Bernardo almost killed himself twice, found meaning
- 03:10:14 - On the pain of writing
- 03:15:59 - Should you ever regret? (Buddhism vs Christianity)
- 03:20:39 - Why East got self illusion, not West?
- 03:25:48 - Morality/ethics within materialism
- 03:26:59 - Weakest point of Bernardo's model
- 03:28:25 - Anything special about biological life?
- 03:34:36 - Logic
- 03:36:27 - What beats rationality? The "game of all games"
- 03:45:33 - How does Bernardo write? Process
- 03:51:19 - Bernardo gives Curt advice
- 04:03:51 - Don't feel like "others have it worse." Honor suffering
- 04:06:22 - Don't take yourself seriously but take life seriously
- 04:07:59 - Disagreements with Tony Robbins and self-help
- 04:15:00 - Brain as a radio tuner (Plastic Pears)
- 04:24:29 - How to falsify Bernardo's theory? Predictions
- 04:27:29 - Other audience questions
- 04:33:57 - Metaphysical questions are dangerous
SPONSORS:
- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- PayPal: https://bit.ly/2EOR0M4
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802
- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Id3k7k7mfzahfx2fjqmw3vufb44
RESOURCES:
- YouTube link: https://youtu.be/lAB21FAXCDE
- 00:00:00 - Introduction
- 00:02:34 - Bernardo's journey from materialism to idealism
- 00:07:08 - Materialism vs analytical idealism
- 00:14:03 - Dissociative identity disorder and consciousness
- 00:19:20 - Why does life have separate consciousness?
- 00:29:14 - Meaning of "explain" without reductionism
- 00:30:25 - Starting with "nothing"? Theory outline
- 00:32:15 - What does "exist" mean? Do abstractions exist?
- 00:35:53 - Theories of truth beyond correspondence
- 00:47:56 - Randomness doesn't exist fundamentally
- 00:51:05 - If mind is deceptive, what do we trust?
- 00:57:44 - Is "Mind at Large" God? Can you pray to it?
- 01:01:07 - Morality and purpose
- 01:08:12 - Disagreements with Joscha Bach
- 01:12:30 - Disagreements with Daniel Dennett
- 01:17:37 - Disagreements with Dawkins
- 01:19:43 - Disagreements with Douglas Hofstadter
- 01:36:18 - If everything is "in the mind" why do objects influence us?
- 01:38:56 - Disagreements with Donald Hoffman and Thomas Campbell
- 01:44:01 - Distinction between "in your head" and "in your mind"
- 01:54:39 - Disagreements with Carl Jung
- 01:57:44 - Disagreements with Roger Penrose
- 01:59:56 - Why parsimony in assumptions?
- 02:06:52 - Curt says Bernardo's theory isn't better than FSM
- 02:13:48 - On Schopenhauer
- 02:19:30 - How to properly read Jung
- 02:25:11 - Bernardo and Curt on "new age" and "woo"
- 02:31:00 - On Deepak Chopra
- 02:36:53 - Does Bernardo fear death? (ego death story)
- 02:49:17 - If reality is a "dream", how much can we control it?
- 02:54:29 - Choice, free will, and becoming a slave voluntarily
- 02:56:40 - The intellect is a bouncer of the heart
- 02:58:08 - East vs West answers to suffering
- 03:02:20 - The "self" is an illusion worth saving
- 03:06:02 - Bernardo almost killed himself twice, found meaning
- 03:10:14 - On the pain of writing
- 03:15:59 - Should you ever regret? (Buddhism vs Christianity)
- 03:20:39 - Why East got self illusion, not West?
- 03:25:48 - Morality/ethics within materialism
- 03:26:59 - Weakest point of Bernardo's model
- 03:28:25 - Anything special about biological life?
- 03:34:36 - Logic
- 03:36:27 - What beats rationality? The "game of all games"
- 03:45:33 - How does Bernardo write? Process
- 03:51:19 - Bernardo gives Curt advice
- 04:03:51 - Don't feel like "others have it worse." Honor suffering
- 04:06:22 - Don't take yourself seriously but take life seriously
- 04:07:59 - Disagreements with Tony Robbins and self-help
- 04:15:00 - Brain as a radio tuner (Plastic Pears)
- 04:24:29 - How to falsify Bernardo's theory? Predictions
- 04:27:29 - Other audience questions
- 04:33:57 - Metaphysical questions are dangerous
SPONSORS:
- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- PayPal: https://bit.ly/2EOR0M4
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802
- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Id3k7k7mfzahfx2fjqmw3vufb44
RESOURCES:
- YouTube link: https://youtu.be/lAB21FAXCDE
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