Why panpsychism is baloney. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2022) By Bernardo Kastrup. Here I argue that not only does panpsychism have questionable value as a philosophical hypothesis; not only is it flat-out refuted by empirical science; but even the very intuitions that motivate panpsychists turn out to be based on unexamined assumptions mistaken for facts.
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By Bernardo Kastrup. An effort to bring intuition to bear on the hypothesis that all minds are expressions of only one field of subjectivity underlying all nature.
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By Bernardo Kastrup. A critique of the many implausible, incoherent, inflationary nad empirically unsubstantiated theoretical hypotheses put forward to safeguard the metaphysics of materialism.
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By Bernardo Kastrup. A criticism of YouTuber physicist Sabine Hossenfelder's local-hidden variables 'theory' of quantum measurement.
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By Bernardo Kastrup. An analysis of how reality can have complexity and structure even in the absence of spacetime extension.
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Death to dataism (in Dutch). VPRO Gids (2021). By Hans van Wetering. An analysis of my participation in the Dutch prime-time TV documentary, Technology as religion (see below).
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Technology as religion (in Dutch). VPRO Tegenlicht (2021). By Hans Busstra.
This was actually a prime-time television documentary in the Netherlands (Dutch spoken), not so much an essay. But it discusses my work extensively in the second half of the show. My philosophy is seen as a saner alternative to the unhinged elevation of technology to religious status, as in, for instance, singulatarianism.
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A strange perspective on the practice of science. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020). By Bernardo Kastrup.
This is a response to a peculiar attacking piece by one Peter Vickers, in which he portrays the practice of science as a subjective exercise driven by majority opinions, prejudices and vulgar associations. It is almost embarrassing to have to respond to such a piece, but here it is, nonetheless.
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Bernardo Kastrup Argues for a Universal Mind as a Reasonable Idea. Mind Matters News (2020).
By Mind Matter News staff.
Coverage of a conversation I had with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor, about analytic idealism and other metaphysics such as panpsychism.
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The Universal Mind: Idealism vs Panpsychism. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020). By Bernardo Kastrup.
My response to Philip Goff's criticism of analytic idealism, as well as my rejoinder to Philip's defense of panpsychism from my original criticisms.
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Metaphysics and Woo: An outsider’s perspective on academic philosophy’s social role. Blog of the American Philosophical Association (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
I argue that academic metaphysicians have an indispensable social role in today's society, where ad hoc, idiosyncratic, uninformed metaphysical views proliferate like mushrooms. But, crucially, to do that they must change their ways.
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Arthur Schopenhauer: The West’s nondual sage. Science and Nonduality (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
An attempt to show that Schopenhauer's much misunderstood and misrepresented metaphysics is the West's own nonduality philosophy; a manifestation of our own spiritual roots.
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The conceivability trap: Analytic philosophy's Achilles Heel. Blog of the American Philosophical Association (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
Here I argue that philosophers of mind must be able to metacognitively introspect and know their own mind in depth, if they are to do proper philosophy. The ostensible objectivity of philosophy of mind is, therefore, illusory.
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The unexpected origin of matter: The external world is constituted by transpersonal experiential states. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
Here I explain why the 'hard problem of consciousness' is merely an internal contradiction of metaphysical materialism, not a problem that needs to be solved.
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Vindicating Schopenhauer: Undoing misunderstandings of his metaphysics, Blog of the American Philosophical Association (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
A summary of key points made about Arthur Schopenhauer's metaphysics in my book Decoding Schopenhauer's Metaphysics, particularly regarding Schopenhauer's vastly misunderstood concept of 'Will.'
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The Meaning and Destiny of Western Culture. Science and Nonduality (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
Reflections on the primordial origin, identity and telos of Western civilization, under the light of Peter Kingsley's remarkable work.
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Every generation scorns the picture of ‘reality’ which came before. And the next generation will be no different. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
The psychology of 'intelligent' nonsense that manufactures plausibility for absurdities such as metaphysical materialism.
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Schopenhauer's Sense of Self: Can Our Core Subjectivity Survive Bodily Death? The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
An attempt to rehabilitate Schopenhauer's profound notion of identity, the West's own insight into the impersonal nature of the self.
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Kastrup: No, Consciousness Cannot Be Just a Byproduct. Mind Matters News (2020).
By Mind Matter News staff.
Coverage of my response to biologist Jerry Coyne's criticisms of an earlier essay of mine, wherein I dispute Coyne's claim that consciousness could have evolved as a byproduct of cognitive function.
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Did Consciousness Evolve? A Darwinist Responds. Mind Matters News (2020).
By Prof. Michael Egnor.
Neurosurgeon Prof. Michael Egnor comes to my defense against criticism by evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne.
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Bernardo Kastrup: Consciousness Cannot Have Evolved. Mind Matters News (2020).
By Mind Matters News staff.
A brief review of my essay titled Consciousness Cannot Have Evolved (see below).
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Consciousness Cannot Have Evolved. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
An exposition of why, under joint materialist and neo-Darwinian premises, phenomenal consciousness should not exist at all. So something has got to give.
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The Mysterious Reappearance of Consciousness. The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
My rejoinder to Princeton neuroscientist Michael Graziano, following his reply to my exposé of his incoherent and outright absurd argument that consciousness does not exist.
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Why Would Philosophers Deny that Consciousness Is Real? Mind Matters News (2020).
By Mind Matters News staff.
A discussion of my exposé of eliminativism and illusionism, the bizarre philosophical notions—seriously debated in academia—that consciousness does not exist (see below).
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The Mysterious Disappearance of Consciousness: What makes materialists deny the undeniable? The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
An exposé of philosophy's most toxic and pernicious charade of all time: the notion that consciousness doesn't exist, is an illusion.
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Will we ever Understand Consciousness? Why compromises like panpsychism aren't the way forward, The Institute of Art and Ideas (2020).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
On why the most popular version of panpsychism (technically called 'constitutive micropsychism') is both physically incoherent and philosophically weak.
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Why Materialism is a Dead-End: How misunderstanding matter has led us astray, The Institute of Art and Ideas (2019).
By Bernardo Kastrup.
A thorough take-down of metaphysical materialism, elaborating on the reasons why it is untenable. It also suggests idealism as the optimal alternative.
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Recently Published Book Spotlight: The Idea of the World, Blog of the American Philosophical Association (2019).
By Bernardo Kastrup and Nathan Eckstrand.
This written interview contains an extensive and accurate summary of my philosophical positions.
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Do Quantum Phenomena Require Conscious Observers? Science and Nonduality (2018).
By Shawn Radcliffe.
Examines the claim made by me, Henry Stapp and Menas Kafatos that conscious observation if foundational to quantum mechanics.
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Are we all multiple personalities of universal consciousness? Big Think (2018).
By Robby Berman.
An article about my philosophy. Not accurately written and has mistakes, but comprehensive and easily understandable.
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New Theory Says We Are All Multiple Personalities of a Cosmic Consciousness. Science and Nonduality (2018).
By Shawn Radcliffe.
A summary of a key idea underlying my philosophy. Fairly well written and accessible.
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More to come!