549. Donald Hoffman

Donald HoffmanDonald Hoffman received a Ph.D. from MIT and is a Professor of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He is an author of over 120 scientific papers and three books, including The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes. He received a Distinguished Scientific Award of the American Psychological Association for early career research, the Rustum Roy Award of The Chopra Foundation, and the Troland Research Award of the US National Academy of Sciences. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, New Scientist, LA Review of Books, and Edge, and his work has been featured in Wired, Quanta, The Atlantic, Ars Technica, National Public Radio, Discover Magazine, and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. He has a TED Talk titled “Do we see reality as it is?

Interview recorded May 9, 2020

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump with Donald Hoffman
  • 00:04:52 – Meditation as an Exploration
  • 00:09:08 – The Process of Transformation and the Endless Exploration
  • 00:13:08 – Safety First
  • 00:17:22 – The Illusion of Space-Time
  • 00:22:25 – The Limitations of Space-Time and Measurement
  • 00:26:32 – The Observer and the Observed
  • 00:31:40 – The Oneness of Ultimate Reality
  • 00:36:35 – The Illusion of Objective Reality
  • 00:41:47 – Humility and Precision in Science and Spirituality
  • 00:46:03 – Challenging Dogmatism & the Split between Science and Spirituality
  • 00:50:57 – Rethinking Reductionism and Fundamental Reality
  • 00:55:56 – The Role of Science and Reason in Spiritual Exploration
  • 01:01:03 – The Humility of Scientific Spirituality
  • 01:05:36 – Godel’s Candy Store Theory of Consciousness
  • 01:10:03 – The Dynamics of Consciousness
  • 01:14:07 – The Nature of Scientific Progress
  • 01:19:03 – The Science Game and Precision in Spiritual Experiences
  • 01:23:23 – Exploring Consciousness beyond Space-Time
  • 01:27:33 – The Fundamental Dynamical Principle of Consciousness
  • 01:31:38 – The Fictions of Space-Time and Extraordinary Experiences
  • 01:35:20 – Consciousness as Fundamental
  • 01:39:32 – The Evidence for Consciousness as Fundamental
  • 01:43:21 – The Dance Between Precision and No-Concepts
  • 01:47:08 – The Importance of Avoiding Sloppy Thinking
  • 01:51:20 – The Conscious Agent and Unity Consciousness
  • 01:55:58 – The Nature of Consciousness and Emotions
  • 02:00:16 – The Infinite Nature of Consciousness and Godel’s Theorem
  • 02:04:41 – Exploring Infinite Possibilities within the Source
  • 02:08:20 – The Playfulness of Exploration
  • 02:11:29 – Consciousness as Fundamental