Jim talks with Bobby Azarian about the ideas in his new book The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity, which Jim calls "the most Jim Rutt Show-ish book ever"... Jim talks with Bobby Azarian about the ideas in his new book The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity, which Jim calls "the most Jim Rutt Show-ish book ever." They discuss the meaning & limits of reductionism, why the universe may not be moving toward an increasingly disordered state, life as a channel for dissipating energy, dissipative adaptation, self-organization as Darwinian process, the Fermi paradox, an evolutionary arms race of complexity, biology as knowledge creation, the emergence of agency, the Bayesian Brain Hypothesis, how symbolic thought opens up design space, the probability of complex life, teleology at local & universal scales, Teilhard de Chardin's omega point, global workspace theory, phenomenal vs access consciousness, whether the internet is a global brain, applying the weak & strong anthropic principle to multiverse theory, cosmological natural selection, life as central to reality, and much more. Episode Transcript The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity, by Bobby Azarian JRS EP 157 - Terrence Deacon on Mind's Emergence From Matter JRS EP 105 - Christof Koch on Consciousness JRS EP 18 - Stuart Kauffman on Complexity, Biology & T.A.P. JRS EP 116 - Doug Erwin on the Cambrian Explosion At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity, by Stuart Kauffman The Phenomenon of Man, by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Anthropic Cosmological Principle, by John Barrow & Frank Tipler JRS EP 108 - Bernard Baars on Consciousness JRS EP 5 - Lee Smolin – Quantum Foundations and Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution Bobby Azarian is a science journalist and a cognitive neuroscientist with a PhD from the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at George Mason University. He has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American, BBC, Slate, and Aeon. His blog Mind in the Machine hosted by Psychology Today has over 8 million views. He worked on the Emmy-nominated show Mind Field, and he is the author of the new book The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself To Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity.

In this conversation based on his new book, The Romance of Reality, cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian explains how for centuries the question Why do we exist? was the sole province of religion and philosophy. According to the prevailing scientific paradigm, the universe tends toward randomness; it functions according to laws without purpose, and the emergence of life is an accident devoid of meaning. But Azarian argues that out of complexity science and the phenomenon known as emergence, a new cosmic narrative is taking shape: Nature’s simplest “parts” come together to form ever-greater “wholes” in a process that has no end in sight, and that life is moving toward increasing complexity and awareness. Carl Sagan was right when he said of humanity that “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” Shermer and Azarian discuss: laws of thermodynamics and directionality • how complexity formed after the Big Bang • laws of nature: discovered or created or both? • Stephen Jay Gould and contingency vs. necessitating laws of nature • convergent evolution and directionality in evolution • the left wall of simplicity • leading theories for the origin of life • complexity theory and emergence • consciousness, the self, and other minds • free will, determinism, compatibilism, panpsychism • Is there purpose in the cosmos? Bobby Azarian is a cognitive neuroscientist (PhD, George Mason University) and a science journalist. He has written 100+ articles — many reaching millions of views — about science, technology, and philosophy for publications including The Atlantic, New York Times, BBC Future, Scientific American, Slate, Huffington Post, Quartz, Daily Beast, Aeon, among others. Azarian has authored numerous academic papers, published in peer-reviewed journals such as Human Brain Mapping, Cognition & Emotion, and Acta Psychologica. His blog “Mind in the Machine,” hosted by Psychology Today, has received over 8 million views. Azarian worked with The Atlantic and Huffington Post to create viral videos, which he helped write the scripts for and narrated.

Dr. Bobby Azarian, a cognitive neuroscientist and science journalist, delves into the neuroscience of belief, examining biases like confirmation bias and the Dunning-Kruger effect. He discusses how hierarchical emergence might unify our understanding of consciousness and self, suggesting that the universe functions like a vast neural network. Covering topics from psychoplastogenesis to predicting societal trends with Cliodynamics, he presents insights on how consciousness evolves and our interconnectedness within the cosmos.

Bobby Azarian, a science journalist and cognitive neuroscientist, discusses the evolution of cosmic complexity and consciousness. They explore the hierarchical structure of the universe and how it becomes conscious. They also discuss the role of information in evolution, emergent order challenging the second law of thermodynamics, life's potential for infinite persistence, cooperation and hierarchy in evolution, and the inevitable increase in complexity. They touch on the naturalizing of the Western religious tradition, intelligence, consciousness, and pain, the evolution of consciousness, and the mind-altering effects of DMT. They conclude with a discussion on resources, cosmic purpose, and merging science with spirituality.

Bobby Azarian, a cognitive neuroscientist and science journalist, dives into the rich tapestry of evolutionary thinking and its implications in this insightful discussion. He explores the evolution of complexity and consciousness, emphasizing how life emerges from energy gradients. Azarian critiques simplistic narratives, highlighting the role of imagination in adaptation. The conversation also delves into cultural evolution, the balance between individual autonomy and collective connectivity, and how technological advancements shape our understanding of consciousness and morality.