Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal Donald Hoffman Λ John Vervaeke on Infinity, Non-Dualism, Ego, and Reality
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Nov 26, 2022 
Donald Hoffman, a cognitive scientist and author of 'The Case Against Reality,' teams up with John Vervaeke, an award-winning lecturer known for his work on the meaning crisis. They dive into the intricate relationship between consciousness and the fundamental nature of reality. Topics include the limitations of reductionism, the interplay of ego in spiritual growth, and Gödel's incompleteness theorem, which highlights the complexities of truth in science. They also explore how multiple realities might coexist, challenging listeners to rethink their perceptions.
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Fundamentality vs. Reductionism
- "Fundamental" is a property of scientific theories, relative to their assumptions, not necessarily tied to space-time.
- Reductionism, problematic on its own, assumes space-time as fundamental, leading to contradictions.
Reality vs. Fundamentality
- Complete reductionism leads to performative contradictions, like claiming only the bottom level is real from a "non-real" level.
- "Realness" transcends theory, asking what makes any intelligibility possible, integrating fundamentals non-reductively.
Gödel, Truth, and Reality
- Gödel's incompleteness implies no theory of everything exists, not that truth or reality are unknowable.
- Truth/reality might transcend scientific theories, accessible through non-conceptual knowing.
