Bernardo Kastrup - The Radical View of Mind Only

May 31, 2024

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Bernardo Kastrup is a philosopher of mind and the leading voice for metaphysical idealism - the view that all of reality is essentially mental. He holds PhDs in Philosophy and Computer Engineering, combining rigorous academic discipline with extensive practical experience. As a scientist, he has worked for the Europen Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Phillips Research laboratories where the “Cassimir Effect’ of Quantum Field theory was discovered. He’s also had a rich career in technology where he founded the parallel processing company Silicon Hive which was acquired by Intel in 2011. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Essentia Foundation, an organization dedicated to presenting scientific and analytic evidence that challenges traditional materialism in an accurate yet accessible way. He is the author of over 10 books including “Why Materialism is Baloney”, “The Idea of the World” and the upcoming “Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell.” In this episode, we discuss why all of reality is mental, why the brain does not generate the mind, how to avoid cognitive entrenchment, how idealism impacts meaning in life, suffering & happiness, psychedelics & self-deception, If enlightenment is real, and so much more.

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📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:33 - Pivotal events and influences that shaped Bernardo
8:32 - From intellectual to experiential understanding
13:02 - Fear of death
15:54 - The simplest explanation of idealism
19:12 - A dream in the infinite mind or Dissociation
23:33 - The thinkers who most influenced Bernardo Kastrup
26:40 - Is there a way to test idealism scientifically?
33:13 - Why the mind is not generated by the brain
37:58 - You can never convince someone of something they don’t already know
39:56 - How does Idealism impact meaning in life
45:49 - Psychedelics, self-deception & symbolism
51:02 - How Bernardo avoids getting trapped in his ideas
1:00:10 - Intellectual pursuits, human connection and loneliness
1:08:46 - Capacities Bernardo wishes he innately had
1:12:14 - Suffering, happiness, responsibility, and contentment
1:32:22 - Bernardo’s conception of Enlightenment (The monk who set himself on fire)
1:37:13 - What makes Bernardo most angry about society
1:40:13 - What Bernardo is most worried about
1:45:52 - Crying tears of joy
1:53:29 - What makes Bernardo’s upcoming book “Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell” unique
1:56:35 - What Bernardo is writing about now
2:00:09 - What will never disappear

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