Mind at Large - does it have agency, suffering and self-awareness?
1st Sept 2026 Q&A with Bernardo Kastrup | 6-8pm UK time / 7-9pm CEST / 1-3pm EDT
Mind at Large is what the universe we observe looks like, from across our precious dissociative boundaries. It is a source of endless fascination, speculation and mystery.
What lies behind its enticing representations, the rocks, mountains, galaxies and supernovas? Does it suffer? Have agency? Intention? Internal divisions?
Why is Bernardo so convinced it is not meta-conscious?
We're dedicating the 1st of Sept to delve into many recently raised questions related to Mind-at-Large, such as:
- Which comes first: dissociation, or space and time? If space and time arise through dissociation, how can dissociation itself ever begin?
- Are minds patterns rather than things? Could intention be substrate-independent, appearing across cells, organisms, AI and larger-scale processes?
- Where does one mind end and another begin? Are the boundaries we perceive genuine divisions in consciousness, or just different scales of activity within Mind-at-Large?
- What exactly counts as a “mind” in Analytic Idealism? Questions of agency, awareness and whether the terminology adequately distinguishes acting from experiencing.
- Does Mind-at-Large suffer? Schopenhauer’s primordial will seems full of terror, grief and striving, yet Bernardo argues suffering arises only with dissociation. Is there a tension there?
We recommend watching this talk from Bernardo first, and this session:
Recording - Mind at Large vs Universal Consciousness
Following on naturally from the last week’s discussion on dissociation, Tues 11th of Feb focused on Mind at Large. The recording is at the bottom of this page. This isn’t true everywhere, but in our meetings, Bernardo makes a careful distinction between ‘Mind at Large’ and Universal Consciousness. This is
Amir Giles
I look forward to seeing you there!
Amir
Zoom Room
1st Sept 2026
6-8pm UK time / 7-9pm CEST / 1-3pm EDT
