Spacetime is just a headset: An interview with Donald Hoffman

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Prof. Donald Hoffman talks to Essentia Foundation's Hans Busstra about his theory of conscious agents, according to which space and time are cognitive constructs in consciousness, not an objective scaffolding of the world outside. The interview also touches on Prof. Hoffman's personal history and life, bringing the warmth of his humanity to the academic rigor of his theories.

00:00 Intro: Beyond the spacetime headset
03:32 About Donalds personal background
07:35 On the importance of mathematics
13:22 Quantum theory and spacetime
19:24 Why exactly is spacetime 'doomed'?
24:34 Did physics 'encounter' consciousness in quantum theory?
32:49 On heavy vs light metaphysical claims
37:36 How is your theory affecting your personal life?
42:17 Is The Matrix a good metaphor?
46:38 How can the space time interface affect consciousness?
53:09 What makes you say that if spacetime is not fundamental, consciousness must be fundamental?
55:44 Physicalism fails to give an accurate model of consciousness...
1:00:24 How can we put the spacetime headset off?
05:39 Beyond the spacetime fantasies of Christopher Nolan and the Matrix...
1:09:27 The ontology of conscious agents
1:15:05 Are meditation and psychedelics 'hacks' in the interface?
1:21:41 Should we revalue religious and mystic literature?
1:29:54 Could idealism as a worldview help us better solve the challenges humanity faces?
1:34:23 The role of mathematics in bringing together science and spirituality

Copyright © 2022 by Essentia Foundation. All rights reserved.
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Dude I’m so stoked to be alive in a time we’re we have access to these beautiful ideas and the ability to understand them well enough. And I don’t have any fancy book learning. Just keeping pace at my leisure but still absorbing it daily. And I know I’m not the only one that does it. Probably everyone here does. Just learning all this heavy shit for the sake of learning. I know it doesn’t feel like it when you look at the state of the world as it’s broadcast, but what if we are all collectively getting exponentially smarter. Let’s hope so.

michaelmilson
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best interviewer ever! Relaxed, clear, concise, friendly - everbody else would be struggling to follow these thoughts. You guided me through it in the most relaxed manner. Loved it, thank you! We will meet again ;)

ZaphodTube
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Fantastic! I wish Donald had been there when I was growing up in a small southern town trying to discuss these same points with the southern Baptists around me! (Needless to say those “discussions” did not go well. Though they didn’t go much better when later talking to my neuroscience colleges either. 🤔) Very happy to hear a respected scientist openly discussing such things! Bravo!

surrendertoflow
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Consciousness may be a non local phenomena that exists in another dimension outside spacetime. I tend to think the other conscious entities (e.g. what some refer to as aliens, etc) exist there, have learned to travel within that dimension, and manifest in our spacetime dimension we humans exist in.

willbrink
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Fascinating and illumination. One of the best I have heard. Love Prof DH's humility & his understanding & non-divisive approach to others.

celienepaul
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This is the gist of Buddhism and most Eastern contemplative religions. Someone said all of this 2, 500 years ago. There are mountains of literature. Unfortunately, there was no proper acknowledgement. Otherwise, a great conversation. Very good questions from the interviewer which totally immersed and challenged Donald, resulting in great insights from Donald, as usual.

JJRed
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This is what i watch for pleasure. THANK YOU

mstrG
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This is completely fascinating. I’ve watched this 2-3 times. I listen while I’m driving, doing housework, etc. Donald Hoffman is such an intelligent person and he explains things so that it can be understood by the average listener.

Cheese-is-its-own-food-group
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My headset was programmed for misery and submission as a peasant/slave in a corrupt system of psychopaths for some reason.

susie
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This is by far your best video offering to date. Brilliant. 👍

IanMiller
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"It does it for me when im Donald!!

stianmathisen
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Excellent! Really resonates with a long time I have felt that all mankind's successes were also mine, and all mankind's failures, my lesson too. There is a deep peace available to those who can remove the headset, even for short periods of time....

barbarakane
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Wonderful interview! Thank you! Krishnamurti and David Bohm made a wonderful series of talks where they deeply dived into the meaning of time and thought. The insight presented in the interview is not new except perhaps for the fact that it came from a mathematical approach. The insight itself has been named in multiple ways before. For example: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” - Rumi, or, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form is nothing but emptiness and emptiness is nothing but form." - Heart Sutra Buddhism. The Mind & Life Institute is an example of an institute bridging science with contemplative traditions.

janineschimmelpenninck
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Thank you so much for this interview, Essentia!

Juanc
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I never thought I would see it but Donald Hoffman is echoing what the Lankavatara Sutra says in Buddhism.

mujaku
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I am not sure if Hoffman realizes it but @1:17/1:18 he is giving a pretty accurate and quite beautiful description of what in Hinduism is understood as the relationship between Brahman (All) and Atman (purusha or individual head set, if you will) .

Neilgs
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I love how you used movies to illustrate the points. It really helps follow the gist of everything and bring it to life!♥

franciewoodford
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I have listened to him for a few months now visually trying to see his ideals and that finally clicked like a two line quote in zen summarizing a thought. We studied our headset so well we discovered it’s a headset. It’s not that space time doesn’t work anymore in quantum, it’s that it is not apart of quantum. It’s the headset. Well out.

FromRootsToRadicals_INTP
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What he says in the first quarter of an hour, resonates with my intuitive knowledge. As a teenager I was mocked for making comments like, material goods aren´t that essential (sometimes necessary, like an old car in a rural area)

tabuleirocmd
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One of the most interesting discussions I've had the pleasure of listening to this year...

MrXerxes