This book contains the unfinished manuscript and working notes of Merleau-Ponty's last project. It is devoted to a critical examination of various philosophical methods, including those of Kant, Husserl, Bergson, and Sartre. The text introduces key concepts such as 'flesh' and 'chiasm,' which are central to Merleau-Ponty's later thought. These concepts aim to clarify the ontological implications of a phenomenology that self-critically accounts for its own limitations, integrating naturalism and transcendental thought through the concept of structure[1][3][4].
Everything Flows is an unfinished novel by Vasily Grossman, written in the final years of his life. The book follows Ivan Grigoryevich, who returns to Moscow after 29 years in the Siberian gulag, and his confrontations with relatives and friends who either betrayed him or did nothing to help him. The novel delves into the complexities of human behavior under totalitarian rule, exploring themes of complicity, guilt, and the moral dilemmas faced by ordinary people. Despite its structural flaws due to being unfinished, the book offers powerful and humane insights into life under a dictatorship, with Grossman's characteristic depth and empathy[1][2][3].
Douglas Harding's "On Having No Head" is a seminal work exploring the nature of self-perception and consciousness. Harding's unique approach challenges the reader to question their ingrained assumptions about the self and the nature of experience. The book uses simple yet profound exercises to guide the reader towards a direct experience of reality, free from the limitations of conceptual thought. Through these exercises, Harding aims to reveal the inherent freedom and spaciousness of consciousness. The book's impact lies in its ability to facilitate a shift in perspective, leading to a deeper understanding of one's own being.
John Vervaeke and Evan Thompson continue the exploration of life, cognition, and consciousness, drawing from interdisciplinary collaboration and philosophical discourse. The discussion challenges reductionist perspectives in biology, examines organisms as autonomous agents, and questions the adequacy of current models to explain life's complexities. Consciousness is explored through presence and embodiment, while also debating the roles of large language models like ChatGPT in understanding cognitive processes. By integrating philosophical and phenomenological perspectives, the episode addresses the interconnectedness of consciousness, cognition, and life, transcending traditional mind-matter dichotomies and emphasizing the significance of embodiment in cognitive functions.
Evan Thompson is a philosopher and author, specializing in the integration of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and Asian philosophical traditions. Based at the University of British Columbia, his work, including his recent book 'The Blind Spot', examines the intersections of consciousness, experience, and reality through a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach.
Immerse yourself in the groundbreaking insights of Evan Thompson's thought-provoking book, "The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience”
Notes:
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(0:00) Introduction: Welcome to the Lectern
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(0:15) Evan Thompson's Background and the Book 'The Blind Spot'
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(2:10) The Blind Spot in Perception: Cognitive Science, Asian Philosophy, and Mystical Insight
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(2:30) Revolution in Biology: Life, Cognition, and Consciousness
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(5:00) Autonomous Agents vs. Machines
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(11:30) Challenges to Newtonian Mechanics and Reductionist Ontology
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(22:00) Life as Self-Enabling, Not law-Entailing
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(32:00) Historical and Nomological Explanations in Biology
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(39:00) Epiphenomenalism
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(43:00) Debunking Computational Functionalism
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(45:00) Exploring Cognition and Relevance Realization
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(49:00) Limits of AI
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(51:00) The Energy and Social Costs of AI
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(1:00:00) Structures of Consciousness
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(1:08:00) The Primacy of Awareness and Embodiment
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(1:22:00) Concluding Thoughts and Future Discussions
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Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode
The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience - book co-authored by Evan Thompson, Adam Frank, and Marcelo Gleiser
Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy - book by Evan Thompson
Why I Am Not a Buddhist - book by Evan Thompson
The Nature of Selection: Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus by Elliott Sober
The Watchmen (comic series) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
The Relevance Realization (paper) by John Vervaeke and colleagues
Chalmers' work on consciousness works by David Chalmers
The Visible and the Invisible by Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Neoplatonism
Hegelian Philosophy
Immanuel Kant
Alfred North Whitehead
Douglas Harding
Marcelo Gleiser
Quotes:
“Organisms are autonomous agents, not machines.” -Evan Thompson (4:00)
“Consciousness has the order of priority in terms of intelligibility or meaning.” -Evan Thompson (1:04:00)
Dr. John Vervaeke 
