A Discussion on the Nature of Reality, Mind, and Death with Bernardo Kastrup

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May 28, 2024

Bernardo Kastrup, a leading philosopher and computer scientist, delves into the intriguing realm of metaphysical idealism. He discusses how reality might be a collective dream and the implications for understanding health, particularly cancer, through a compassionate lens. The conversation draws a thought-provoking analogy between societal growth and cancer, questioning humanity’s direction. Kastrup explores the nature of identity, consciousness, and the continuity of the self beyond death, inviting listeners to reconsider their perceptions of reality and existence.

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INSIGHT

Reality as Symbolic Interaction

Reality is symbolically mediated through mental interactions between personal and external mental states.
Perception acts like a dashboard indicator, indicating but not directly showing reality as it is.

INSIGHT

Primacy of Metaphorical Thinking

Metaphorical and associative thinking underlies logic and rationality.
Science theories are convenient fictions useful for prediction, not literal truths.

INSIGHT

Cancer as Mental Dissociation

Diseases like cancer represent dissociations of parts of our mental states from the whole.
Compassionate attitudes towards disease can aid healing rather than framing diseases as enemies.

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Join the esteemed philosopher and computer scientist Bernardo Kastrup in a wide-ranging exploration of the nature of mind and reality. The conversation begins with a look at the implications of idealism, the view that reality is essentially mental. If reality is like a dream, how do we accurately derive meaning from this collective dream and avoid the trap of projecting meaning onto it? Can we interpret disease in a meaningful way, and how do we read this form of sign language? Is there a connection to this world view with the Buddhist teaching on Mahamudra, or the tradition of the “Great Symbol”? Bernardo shares his innovative view of cancer and speaks about the compassion we should direct to our diseases. If disease is a form of dissociation, can we look at the meta-crises facing the world today as a meta-disease, and reduce the meta-crises to irreducibly simple principles? Does karmic theory have a place in the origin of phenomena?

Dr. Kastrup shares his liberating view of death as the end of dissociation, not the end of consciousness. How do the contents of our mind contribute to “mind at large” when we die? What kind of “contribution” does someone like Hitler make? Intertwined with this discussion is the role of development, and the place of identity. What is our irreducible identity that is untouched even by death? The conversation turns to viewing the unconscious mind as the obfuscated or obscured mind. What is the main source of obfuscation, and where does dark retreat fit in? Is the light of meta-cognition a form of obfuscation? What about the relationship of light to mind, and to reality, altogether? Bernardo proclaims that philosophy must be lived if it is to be genuine. He shares two major ways his view of reality has positively affected his life, and two ways he has been challenged by his own views. What does Dr. Kastrup most want to know? See for yourself why Bernardo is a major figure in the world of philosophy, and a leading voice in the arena of nondual spirituality.