What If Everyone You Meet Is You? Bernardo Kastrup on Empathy, Identity and Consciousness

Apr 21, 2025

02:50:01

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Philosopher and consciousness researcher Bernardo Kastrup argues that reality isn’t made of matter — it’s made of mind. And that insight, if true, changes everything: how we relate to each other, how we handle grief, how we understand mental illness, and even how we live day to day.

In this conversation, Simon and Bernardo explore what it means to live from a worldview that sees all of life as interconnected. They go deep into fear, death, empathy, identity, and the consequences of seeing through the illusion of separation — not as a spiritual ideal, but as an existential truth.

They discuss:

Why Bernardo fears death — and what it might mean to merge with all suffering
The lived consequences of seeing others as yourself
How this view affects grief, kindness, and the way we consume
Where materialism breaks down — and what might replace it
Why moments of flow, play, and stillness matter more than we realise
The role of madness and suffering in our evolution as a species

Bernardo's book Analytic Idealism in a nutshell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Analytic-Idealism-Nutshell-straightforward-metaphysics/dp/1803416696

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8yTY3Fw1Ns&t=233s

If you would like to explore more you can sign up for our free mini-course on beating burnout and finding flow: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-mini-course

Or get in touch about 1:1 explorations: https://www.simonmundie.com/restore-balance-coaching