MIND & MACHINE
August Bradley’s guest today is cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman, author of the book “The Case Against Reality”. Don has been making waves lately in a range of scientific fields with a theory of reality that splinters all of our preconceived notions. What if everything we thought was real — the physical world around us and the notion of time — are not reality but a vast surface-level operating system designed to guide our behaviors for evolutionary survival. What if understanding true objective reality were in fact counter to evolutionary success, and therefore the truth has been obscured from us.
Don Hoffman is a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine. In our conversation today we explore the nature of reality and of consciousness. Then over the next week I’m going to release a shorter episode, as a stand-alone addendum, on Don’s process for moving beyond conventional wisdom and to generate truly original thinking — plus a look into the secret club of brain scientists he was a part of for nearly two decades with some of the most brilliant minds in cognitive science — that mini-episode is available here: https://youtu.be/2XBuQUMhB-o.
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More on Donald Hoffman:
Website: http://cogsci.uci.edu/~ddhoff/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/donalddhoffman
“The Case Against Reality” (Book) is at https://is.gd/thecaseagainstreality
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MIND & MACHINE features interviews by August Bradley with leaders in transformational technologies. More at: https://www.MindAndMachine.io
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This is NOTHING New – This reality what we call LIFE, is nothing more than a DREAM ( like the dream you have at night) it appears more real in the waking state – but like a dream, appears Very real ( sweaty palms, anxiety, sheer panic – believing a mad man is chasing you etc)
The BEST Minds in the world, can't and will NEVER beable to contemplate this Reality – Why? Because their math equations are being done within the dream. I suggest, this is why the best minds are also deluded ( by means of what THEY Believe reality is)
Life is a mission not a compation….some people do not like to be tested cause ..some people to not think there mokey s that conciouness
..or tested like school chidren when u aready have the answer to your own question..ask your self u ..might just find the answer..dont need to look feder that your own spirit …
Great interview!!More sapiens need to watch these videos.
I wonder if he’s heard of schema theory
scientists have an easy solution for everything: evolution did it. somehow evolution has a consciousness of its own to do this or that..
Fleeing, fighting, feeding, and…………..mating. 😉
A computer could never create consciousness. But suppose it did, what does that mean? That there is an intelligent agent needed to create such a computer, wich basically means that you would be the Creator to that computer consciousness.
I like Don but my question about Natural Selection – I'm looking for his answer for some time already.
In his book he uses Dan Dennett's Universal Acid metaphor . Like Dennett he recognizes some sort of "Universal" Darwinism, a principle which goes beyond Natural Selection which frankly baffles me.
Because Darwinism per se equals Natural Selection. Natural Selection requires some sort of replicators (genes, memes or whatever..) able to reproduce and mutate at the same time. As a principle it doesn't have to have a physical substrate, of course, but there must be some reality corresponding to the principle if one wants to use it as an argument.
In other words, one can't use the argument from Natural Selection and doubt the reality of the pieces required for Natural Selection to work!
It's like saying – "Cogito ergo non sum" "I think, therefore I am not"
'Organisms that see reality are no more fit to compete than those that don't with others of equal complexity' I think is a shallow accuracy. After all, if humanity saw reality, then the planet would not now be a trashed prison planet ruled by psychopaths that want to control the world and consume resources faster than their competitors. For a conscious species, humanity is either consumed by evil or not conscious beyond immediate gratification wants – the children's future is betrayed. If that's conscious, then evil won; else Man is no more conscious than termites in the foundation.
I have watched several of Donald Hoffman’s YouTube presentations/discussions on his case against reality, and I am fascinated by his ideas. But as a lay person I am totally confused. So I have a question that you or your Mind and Machine audience might help answer. Given the assertions that Hoffman makes in his presentations/discussions concerning space, time, physical objects, and the Fitness pay-offs that, according to him, evolutionary game theory suggests an individual “consciousness” passes on to their offspring in “the next level” of the game, has anyone in your Mind and Machine audience ever heard Donald Hoffman explain how it is exactly that physical objects such as neurons and, more importantly, the “genes” that according to Hoffman two parent consciousness(es) pass on to their offspring, each of whom is a separate and distinct individual consciousness that like the consciousness of their parents has by evolution also been optimized to survive via the leveraging of Fitness pay-offs, can in actuality exist as the parents perceive them existing in a reality that according to Hoffman is not real? To put it simply, is Hoffman saying that the “offspring” are in fact real, or is he saying that they too are non-existent physical objects that the two parent consciousness(es) merely perceive as existing as physical objects in non-existent space and time. In other words, is Hoffman saying that offspring are real or that they are merely evolutionary game theory Fitness pay-offs? I mean, it can’t be both. It’s either one or the other.
magnetism and the di-electric, youtube Ferrocell….and awesome channel!
I don’t need sleep, i need answers.
I agree with Donald's premise , and umwelt in general, however it could probably be summed up in a chapter or two.. the most important part is what Donald says is the work of his next book.. the actual nature of reality. Would have liked to have heard his thoughts on quantum mechanics. It too is a beautiful mathematical theory, that can be used to make precise and accurate predictions, yet it does nothing in the way of explaining the nature of reality.. or even how it relates to general relativity. So assuming Donald's approach works of starting with consciousness (Panpsychism?), and then deriving space/time with it.. it would seem the basic model of what are conscious agents are would need to be understood.
An apple is still an apple. Whatever it is that we perceive as an apple clearly has some beneficial interaction potentials for us and so is perceived in a way that appears useful in our interface.
Great show. I am very much into cognitive Science and read and listen to everything I get my hands on.. Thank you August Bradley and Donald Hoffman.
Good stuff man…hes right Natural Selection ,and the Fitness Reward Systems, it seems are only here to benefit the survival and perpetuation of our Genes , and not to reveal the underlining Truth about life itself; "The Flesh cannot see the things of the Spirit , but the Spirit can understand all things," I think thats a quote from the Bible.. That said we can only see, and comprehend so much with the eyes of our flesh , but with the eyes of our Spirit we can see beyond reason and beyond Limits…I think Lao Tzu said, " The Dao that is, cannot be spoken of and the Dao that is spoken of, is not The Dao " and again he siad ," To see beyond all Limits, one must let go of all Limits" (to see the formless , you have to be formless because thats what resonates in frequency and like frequencies attract or reveal themselves to eachother) ie perception via or based on the ultimate limit our Ego Consciousness….also the Simulation Universe Theory seems to fit the Hermetic statement , "All Is Mind"….I think we exist in a Holographic Simulated Multidimentional Fractalized Universe.
13:47 "knowing the truth gets in the way", sounds like something that applies to the political and cultural environment today! Perhaps you can cross connect this thought to more mediums in the near future…
well no shit all u can hope to have is a map of the place…. but our maps r constantly getting improved and have better and more accurate predictions…. u might never have a perfect map but whatever so what…. u r still nowhere close to demonstrating a simulation or a matrix is in fact true