The liberating freefall beyond space-time...

Despite some legitimate evidence, Bernardo rejects the idea that our reality is planned. 

Near-death life reviews. Statistical probability. The ways in which the universe seems so carefully calibrated for the unlikely emergence of life…

These could all imply a deliberate design rather than spontaneous emergence, the scenario that Bernardo favours and argued for two weeks back. 

He addresses each of these points in turn, drawing on new theories in physics and the practice of philosophy. Whilst we might be deceived about the nature of reality, it needn't mean that nature is deceptive.

Freefall

But what stayed with me at 4am last night was the dialogue that went beyond analytic philosophy, and beyond analysis altogether. 

There are limits to what can be said with language, but parts of this meeting came close: 

“what is really going on is beyond thought, beyond logic, beyond language, beyond space, beyond time” 

A few brave souls who loosen their attachment to personal identity, science, even to logic itself, might acquire a taste for this liberating freefall.  Meanwhile, the conceptual maps we build still have purpose in their immediate applicability to life. You can click the clip above for a free preview of this section, and of course members can watch the whole show. 

Personally, I love the physics, but I keep coming back for the mysticism. Lucky for us, this meeting has both.

We also discussed: 

• Why a plan implies we're in a simulation
• How black holes could explain our fine-tuned universe
• How Bernardo rejects solipsism
• What dreams might prove about the nature of mind

Also, next week we have Jamey Hecht advocating for a theistic idealism. So the conversation continues, and I hope to see you there!

With appreciation,

Amir

Speakers

Bernardo Kastrup

Analytic idealism

Bernardo Kastrup is the Executive Director of Essentia Foundation and Founder/CEO at AI systems company Euclyd BV. His work has set off the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy (ontology, philosophy of mind) and another in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence).

As a scientist, he has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the ‘Casimir Effect’ of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has also been creatively active in the high-tech industry for almost 30 years, having founded parallel processor company Silicon Hive (acquired by Intel in 2011) and worked as a technology strategist for the geopolitically significant company ASML. Most recently, he has founded AI company Euclyd BV.

Formulated in detail in many academic papers and books, his ideas have been featured in Scientific American, the magazine of The Institute of Art and Ideas, the Blog of the American Philosophical Association and Big Think, among others. His most defining book is Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A straightforward summary of the 21st-century’s only plausible metaphysics.

Explore Bernardo’s work →