The Disruptors – Science, Technology and Ethics
Donald Hoffman (@donaldhoffman) is a cognitive scientist, popular author and Professor of Cognitive Science at UC Irvine. He studies how our visual perception, guided by millions of years of natural selection, authors every aspect of our everyday reality.
Don has co-authored two technical books: Observer Mechanics: A Formal Theory of Perception which offers a theory of consciousness and its relationship to physics and Automotive Lighting and Human Vision which applies vision science to vehicle lighting.
Full episode:
In our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including:
– How our perception differs from reality, big time
– The nature of consciousness
– Why we are what we see and believe
– How your brain constructs an alternate universe
– Possible problems with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
– Don’s mathematical definition of god
– Why evolution doesn’t optimize for intelligence
– How psychedelics actually impact our subjective reality
– The hard problem and how to maybe solve it
– Understanding the inner workings of science
– Why physics is probably wrong and confused
– What we can learn from VR about real life
– Why Don believed humans were just machines, and what he thinks now
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Source
1:01:00 This is an important element that Hoffman's theory is missing thus far. He is correct that sexual selection pressures would not shape us to show us the truth, BUT they would also NOT shape us towards fitness:
"If anything it would pressure us towards whatever the peahen likes."
EXACTLY. Sexual selection pressures would shape us towards VALUE, and value is not in the realm of conscious experience. This is why there can be no conscious correlates to certain types of experience (smell, touch, taste etc.) that are defined by their Value instead of their Fitness. For lack of a better word, these are experiences of the Soul rather than Consciousness.
How does Hoffman's ideas differ from Kant's trascendental idealism, if at all?
27:20, now I see where the show gets its name
Donald Hoffman should have a discussion with Bernardo Kastrup! Seriously!