Bernardo Kastrup has a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and has worked as a scientist in some of the world’s foremost research laboratories, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the “Casimir Effect” of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has authored many scientific papers and four philosophy books: Rationalist Spirituality, Dreamed up Reality, Meaning in Absurdity, and Why Materialism Is Baloney. This latter book is a grand synthesis of his metaphysical views. Bernardo has also been an entrepreneur and founder of two high-tech businesses. Today, he holds a managerial position in the high-tech industry. In parallel, he maintains a philosophy blog, an audio/video podcast, and continues to develop his ideas about the nature of reality. Bernardo has lived and worked in four different countries across continents.
Books:
- Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Everything
- Meaning in Absurdity: What bizarre phenomena can tell us about the nature of reality
- Dreamed Up Reality: Diving into the Mind to Uncover the Astonishing Hidden Tale of Nature
- Rationalist Spirituality: An exploration of the meaning of life and existence informed by logic and science
- More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth And Belief
- Website: bernardokastrup.com
- Youtube Channel
- Blog post written by Bernardo after our interview (and relevant to it).
- Important article: The Physicalist Worldview as Neurotic Ego-Defense Mechanism
Interview recorded 7/12/2014
Second Batgap interview with Bernardo.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction & Background
- 00:05:18 – The Path of Intellectual Discernment
- 00:10:39 – Defining Materialism and Consciousness
- 00:15:35 – Brain Function and Subjective Experience
- 00:20:22 – The Mistake of Materialists and the Localization of Mind
- 00:25:21 – Consciousness as the Ultimate Reality
- 00:30:37 – The Consciousness of a Glass of Water
- 00:35:26 – The Difference Between Water Flowing and Forming a Whirlpool
- 00:39:30 – The Glass of Water and Consciousness
- 00:43:46 – Materiality and Consciousness
- 00:47:56 – The Danger of Objectifying Consciousness
- 00:52:03 – The process of splitting off
- 00:56:06 – The Nature of Consciousness and Self-Recognition
- 01:00:07 – The Excitation of Mind and Self-Reflection
- 01:04:14 – The Dreamer and the Dream
- 01:08:13 – The Localization of Consciousness
- 01:12:10 – The Whirlpool and the Ripples
- 01:15:58 – The individuation of consciousness
- 01:20:18 – The Meaning of Reality and Consciousness
- 01:24:17 – A Hierarchy of Localization, a Hierarchy of Self-Reflection
- 01:28:23 – Mind as a Vibrating Membrane
- 01:32:40 – Existential Experience of Pure Unmanifest Existence
- 01:36:44 – The Illusion of Reality and the Nature of Mind
- 01:40:56 – The Truth in Illusions
- 01:45:04 – The Natural Unfolding Process
- 01:49:08 – The Battle between Intellect and Intuition
- 01:53:14 – The Crack in the Armor of the Ego
- 01:57:19 – Seeking Enlightenment through Different Paths
- 02:01:29 – Embracing the Unknown Journey
- 02:05:25 – Spiritual Awakening and Ordinary Perspective
- 02:09:27 – Harri Alto Returns by Popular Demand
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More