Ep 36: An Interview with Bernardo Kastrup: UFOs, Ultraterrestrials, and Meaning In Absurdity
In todayâs episode, I had the absolute honor of speaking with one of my personal intellectual heroes, Bernardo Kastrup.Â
Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of the Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy (with a focus in ontology and philosophy of mind) and another Ph.D. in computer engineering (with a focus in reconfigurable computing and artificial intelligence). As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the 'Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has also had a 25-year career in high-technology, having co-founded parallel processing company Silicon Hive (which was acquired by Intel in 2011).Â
Bernardo Kastrup is also the author of 11 books. I basically have an entire Kastrup shelf inmy office. His book, âMeaning In Absurdity: What Bizarre Phenomena Can Tell Us About the Nature of Realityâ is, in my opinion, one of the most important books written on the UFO phenomenon. I canât recommend it highly enough.
Just a heads up before we beginâif you arenât familiar with Kastrupâs thinking on analytic idealism, the first part of this interview might be a little challenging. If you stick it out, I think youâll be pleasantly surprised at how elegantly analytic idealism deals with some of the more mysterious aspects of the anomalous phenomena. If youâd like to learn more about analytic idealism, there are some great resources and videos that can walk you through it step-by-step. [Links in episode brief.]
___________________
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Wednesdays, March 27 â April 24 (skips April 10), 2024
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EPISODE BRIEF
[Links to videos on Analytic Idealism in Episode Brief]
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TIMESTAMP
00:00:30 Introduction
00:04:35 How working with artificial neural networks at CERN led Bernardo to break with physicalism
00:07:12 The difference between intelligence and consciousness00:08:36 Analytic idealism
00:12:26 How does analytic idealism relate to the ideas of Donald Hoffman?
00:14:38 If the world is mental, why doesnât it behave like a dream?
00:17:23 Bernardoâs UFO experience
00:19:37 How UFOs repel our attention
00:23:02 Memory and UFOs
00:25:46 UFOs and analytic idealism
00:30:09 Logic and finding meaning in absurdity
00:35:11 The âcall of the absurdâ and the control mechanism
00:39:27 How marketing and propaganda hijack the control mechanism
00:42:47 Are ânuts and boltsâ UAPs and high strangeness UFO encounters the same phenomenon?
00:48:44 Bernardoâs ultraterrestrial hypothesis
00:58:37 The rise of AI, NHIs, and the coming consciousness shift
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-ufo-rabbit-hole-podcast--5746035/support.
Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of the Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy (with a focus in ontology and philosophy of mind) and another Ph.D. in computer engineering (with a focus in reconfigurable computing and artificial intelligence). As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the 'Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has also had a 25-year career in high-technology, having co-founded parallel processing company Silicon Hive (which was acquired by Intel in 2011).Â
Bernardo Kastrup is also the author of 11 books. I basically have an entire Kastrup shelf inmy office. His book, âMeaning In Absurdity: What Bizarre Phenomena Can Tell Us About the Nature of Realityâ is, in my opinion, one of the most important books written on the UFO phenomenon. I canât recommend it highly enough.
Just a heads up before we beginâif you arenât familiar with Kastrupâs thinking on analytic idealism, the first part of this interview might be a little challenging. If you stick it out, I think youâll be pleasantly surprised at how elegantly analytic idealism deals with some of the more mysterious aspects of the anomalous phenomena. If youâd like to learn more about analytic idealism, there are some great resources and videos that can walk you through it step-by-step. [Links in episode brief.]
___________________
NEW Class from Dr. James Madden
Unidentified Flying Hyperobject: UFOs, Philosophy, and the End of the World
Four-week online class via Zoom
Wednesdays, March 27 â April 24 (skips April 10), 2024
7 â 9 pm ET
Learn More About the Class
Sign Up Now
___________________
EPISODE BRIEF
[Links to videos on Analytic Idealism in Episode Brief]
BECOME A PATRON
Patrons get lots of great perks like early and ad-free episodes, access to the private The UFO Rabbit Hole Discord server, and twice-monthly Patron Zoom calls with Kelly Chase.
Memberships start at just $5/month.
GET THE BOOK
Get a SIGNED COPY
Get it on Amazon
FOLLOW
Website
TIMESTAMP
00:00:30 Introduction
00:04:35 How working with artificial neural networks at CERN led Bernardo to break with physicalism
00:07:12 The difference between intelligence and consciousness00:08:36 Analytic idealism
00:12:26 How does analytic idealism relate to the ideas of Donald Hoffman?
00:14:38 If the world is mental, why doesnât it behave like a dream?
00:17:23 Bernardoâs UFO experience
00:19:37 How UFOs repel our attention
00:23:02 Memory and UFOs
00:25:46 UFOs and analytic idealism
00:30:09 Logic and finding meaning in absurdity
00:35:11 The âcall of the absurdâ and the control mechanism
00:39:27 How marketing and propaganda hijack the control mechanism
00:42:47 Are ânuts and boltsâ UAPs and high strangeness UFO encounters the same phenomenon?
00:48:44 Bernardoâs ultraterrestrial hypothesis
00:58:37 The rise of AI, NHIs, and the coming consciousness shift
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-ufo-rabbit-hole-podcast--5746035/support.
