Stuart Hammerof - Can We Explain Cosmos and Consciousness?

The existence of both cosmos and consciousness, each in its own way, constitute deep problems, perhaps grand mysteries beyond human knowing. Some claim that the two mysteries can only be solved in parallel, together, not in series, alone. Some base their claim on religion, a few on science, others on the belief that consciousness is ultimate reality.



Stuart Hameroff, MD, is a physician and researcher at the University Medical Center at the University of Arizona.


Closer to Truth presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[Tazy]

Yeah, I totally understood everything he said.

[adammobile]

Closer to truth is one of my best YT channel

[johnbrzykcy]

How about an interview with Bernardo Kastrup?

[holgerjrgensen]

The short and basic explanation is,
that We are Eternal, Cosmos present the Stuff-Side, and Consciousness present the Life-Side.

[TheSteffeni]

1:10 And there we go again. The table. The explanation of everything :D

[barbarianillust]

This is so very interesting. I've always felt that the way physicists try to explain the Observation and Collapse phenomena is as if everything including our mind simply emerged from a physical and predictable reality, hence they stay Coherent. I mean, the Universe doesn't care at all about us... right?

However, if Meaning, Perception and Understanding of reality are mere Subjective Phenomena, then they should be completely divorced of the Collapse part of the World.
i.e... photons carrying information hit only our eye tissues' atomic and subatomic particles. So the Information that they carry should only affect those, and their effect on any particle beyond said tissues should stay minimal, practically insignificant. But what if more complex ways that are not dependant of how this basic reality works, could exist in reality?... But wait, they do! And they're called Minds. Isn't it very strange? Because the effect they produce on our body is something completely different to the perception and subsequent information carried by our nervous system, which is done in a way that can be interpreted by our brain and stay coherent with reality at the same time.

How come Observation also works in a way to stay coherent with what's in our Mind?

(I hope that made sense.)

If you think about it further, then you may ask, how come things such as "Observation", "Perception", "Meaning", "Mind" are important at all to stay coherent with physical phenomena that should stay divorced from said concepts? Aren't they mere subjectivities born from an "Illusion" of being alive and conscious?
Or maybe that's not the case at all?
Thus, maybe the question should be, "Why are Mind and Semantics important at all for reality?"

[bruceylwang]

The Key word is “structure” .
The realistic fact is: physical and non-physical are structures so that they can exchange energy.
So, both cosmos and consciousness are structures, they are connected by structures and exchange energy all the time. Such as, Mind is a structure. Mind and body are connected and exchange energy all the time. Unfortunately, up to now, not many scientists are looking into this direction. However, I believe they will in the future.

[sasquatch]

If atoms can form a brain in which consciousness emerges, isn't it true every atom must contain at least a very small amount of consciousness which allows consciousness to fully emerge when combined with other atoms when forming a brain?

[cvsree]

matter is made of energy
energy is made of consciousness

[kimgloria]

I didn't understand anything Stuart Hammerof said... I'm lost. Can some one explain what the heck he is saying ?

[ophidiaparaclete]

As students of science disciplined in the scientific approach to learning through experience where everything is on the table until proven fact or fiction we allow for the Cosmo to gently unfold before you in expansion of the Cosmo we then work with that which is given to us. We do this work in honor and respect one to another. Thus honor and respect for the whole.
Harmony without compromise is true FREEDOM. Confidence in uncertainty true LIBERTY. LIBERTY is expansion as we come and go as we please. FREEDOM is creation of choice in mutual consent free from all influence.

[kevanhubbard]

Penrose's idea seems to be a form of pantheism, that the universe is cyclic beginning, ending and starting again and directed by a form of universal conciousness within the structure of the universe.i suppose it verges on panentheism too depending on the boundary of universe, the previous one and the new one created after us.

[jamesruscheinski]

Could space-time be observer of quantum fields; as gravity changes the configuration of space-time, and also as the entirety of space-time moves forward, changes in the configuration of space-time observe and measure quantum fields?

[md.fazlulkarim]

1.Personal Identity is maintained through Time by external relations and references and its memories to self awareness.
2. Self awareness is Consciousness. Mind-Monitor is the Conscious "I" and is the interphase between Soul and Brain.
3. Consciousness is reading or understanding the Monitor of own nervous system is the mind-monitor and generating associated awareness/feelings/emotions. The monitor has many windows to display information relevant to consciousness like memory, sensory inputs, thoughts processing, decision making process, intensions, output, predictions etc. Decision making software of brain is not pre programmed but developed through individuals cognitive development with the approval of Soul. A mind keyboard is there to send series of soul's desires to brain for reasoning, judging and making decisions and intensions of certain priority and intensity or nullify. All together is biological Mind computer inside us. Brain is part of the body and parallel of Mind comuter. Non physical Soul is operating the mind computer and reading the monitor generally or concentrating to any or some windows of monitor for reading/understanding detail deeper informations keeping other windows at subconscious level. Soul get disconnected at sleep or death of Body. Specific soul can operate only specific mind.
4. If want to exclude idea of non physical soul then have to believe that the mind monitor is reading/understating itself and generating awareness/feelings/emotions to itself and typing the mind keyboard itself for generating desires to brain. In such case the Mind Monitor itself has to be a self operating self reading/understanding computer, a circular output to input besides new sensory inputs to brain. Seems not true but if can be achieved, an automatic driving car can be converted to Conscious machine.
5. Memories are snap shots of decoded neural states which can be reproduced when mind looks for those to remember to its monitor.
6. Free Will is individuals decision making mechanism developed through cognition. Free to develop it as believer of God or disbeliever of God through cognition with the approval of "Soul" and thus associated beliefs and values leading attitude, behaviour and actions to create causes. All causes do not satisfy effect and all effects do not have cause because God plays roll in between. Reflexes and random body parts movements are habitual program.

[shazanali]

The reason its secret is the reason there is more, why couldn't finding the meaning of the consciousness be easy but its hard

[jamesruscheinski]

How might quantum fields act like a mind, in human person, and maybe even universe? Can quantum fields integrate information as wave(s) or other? Can decision making by accomplished by quantum field when wave function collapse into particle as neuron signal?

[pikiwiki]

"consciousness is steering the universe, that's a big thought." but how cool. The ultimate gold rush

[TheUltimateSeeds]

I challenge anyone to name any material phenomenon that would have any reason whatsoever to exist if life and consciousness did not exist.

[FortYeah]

He is not embedding teleology if you acknowledge that it is the nature of consciousness to know, just like water wets or fire burns. Therefore, if consciousness is uncreated, it would make sense that it makes everything possible to know itself better and better. Penrose's hypothesis - that the Universe evolved through different stages in order to produce better and better conditions for consciousness to become more and more aware -, makes sense in that regard. The "accusation" of teleology would be a false one, because meaning would truly be an objective feature of the universe, just like subjectivity, that has no choice but to occur since consciousness is part of the primal soup.

[victoriay]

In order to explain away the universe without a this is what we have to go to.... so kinda makes you wonder.... why isn’t the simple answer the right one? Simple is there is a God. The more I studied physics the more I was feeling being a fool for believing in a God. The more I studied physics the more I feel there has to be a God. (Kinda like superposition! 🙃🙂) My biggest wish is to KNOW.