Is Consciousness Fundamental? | Episode 308 | Closer To Truth

Is our mental life a random accident, solely the product or byproduct of physical brain? Or is there something deeply special about conscious awareness that may reveal a hidden reality? Featuring interviews with David Chalmers, John Searle, Marilyn Schlitz, Varadaraja Raman, and Andrei Linde.

Season 3, Episode 8 - #CloserToTruth

Closer To Truth host Robert Lawrence Kuhn takes viewers on an intriguing global journey into cutting-edge labs, magnificent libraries, hidden gardens, and revered sanctuaries in order to discover state-of-the-art ideas and make them real and relevant.

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.

#Consciousness #Philosophy

[emegentwisdom]

John Searle defines his views by opposition to other "bad arguments" but said nothing of what he believes or what he is for. This comes from pride. The others had the humility to admit they don't really know and able to articulate their ideas in an open-minded manner.

[daxross]

This John guy is proving the point that consciousness is fundamental

[terrencekane]

Consciousness transcends everything. It was here before there was a single atom of matter. We are all a part of it.

[meridethmatt]

The first guy and Donald Hoffman are my latest scientific heroes!!

[GUPTAYOGENDRA]

Schrodinger and max plank both accepted that consciousness is fundamental.

[jeschr]

Your videos are perfect to watch and listen to on my laptop before I get to sleep. Thanks!

[larryrilea]

Dude, thanks, I love your investigations into reality and what it means for humanity. The age-old questions of who are we, why are we, where are we going, and how does it all work will always be fascinating, for they are the ultimate questions. Couple that with some of the great minds of our times, and "Closer To Truth, " becomes an amazing series. Please tell me you're going to keep this going for a few more years, or until you finally, beyond a shadow of a doubt, find all the answers. [Smile].

[soubhikmukherjee]

Consciousness is so obvious yet so mysterious 🤔

[macdougdoug]

The Russian's mind blowing quantum equation points to consciousness as an interpretor. Consciousness paints pictures and names the parts.

[davidsocha]

Strangness in science is suppose to be the fuel to adapt our science to reality! 👩🏽‍🚀

[davidsocha]

And we will have to replace «  in the universe » by in the consciousness data stream of information. Thank you so much again! ❤️

[bradmodd]

The Bernardo Kastrup interview is overdue

[msimp]

This is all very old dialogue. Kastrup and Hoffman have advanced the conversation immeasurably. As the Dude would say: “The universe is an idea...man.

[gerardoquirogagoode]

Great work Robert and all around the production team of Closer to Truth. I am amazed to see so many people involved. Do you Robert read all comments, at least superficially, and arrive at some conclusions that will take us Closer to Truth or you are simply too busy ?

The only issue is that we seem to be still stuck around the parable "Blind men and the elephant" for we ultimately use our physical senses to describe Reality. Even the title "Closer to Truth" reminds us of our Sense interpretation of the universe (for closer reminds us of distance in terms of space and time). Yet, how can we describe the unknown from the known? How can we describe quantitatively that higher Reality Box where space, time and matter have different meaning?

What I could conclude is that most Scientists, if not all, seem to talk from the Sphere of KNOWING as opposed to the Sphere of BEING. With BEING there is no speculation as to what the elephant is...

From BEING we can escape spacetime and matter to find that teleportation, PK, telepathy, etc are just as real. I've been there, if only briefly and sporadically. MetaIntelligence Development Is essential

[flo_ridaa]

This is the future of humanity to awaken all those worthy of salvation, we are here to save ourselves and are all connected and apart of a vast ocean of consciousness, everyone you meet in your life, is a current reflection of yourself if you look close enough you will see it, behaviours, past experiences, etc...

[antoniodiogo]

I saw many of yours episode's on consciousness. But this one, is more specific on meaning. Great job man

[msimp]

Searle is the grandfather of promissory materialism. Utterly out of touch.

[JayakrishnanNairOmana]

Dear Dr. Krohn:

I have been an avid watcher of your channel and have immense admiration for your work. Although I tremendously appreciate your balanced panoramic approach to include thoughts from all major world philosophies/religions including Hinduism, and also without meaning any disrespect to Dr. Varadarajan (and kudos to his earnest efforts within the confines of his spiritual knowledge albeit an intellectual giant in Quantum Physics), may I suggest that you also should try interviewing some of the better exponents of the Advaita Vedanta segment of Hinduism, such as Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar or Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev? They have millions, if not Billions of followers worldwide, and I will guarantee they will definitely be able to give you far more insightful, deeper, more profound as well as more scientifically and scripturally apposite answers to your excellent questions than have been managed here.

Yours Most Respectfully

[freedommascot]

Andrew Linde is off the mark. It’s not just human consciousness that “observes” the universe—observation of some kind happens at every interaction between anything. Quarks interact with each other and their environment and so do all the larger particles.

[Thundralight]

It is what gives meaning and purpose to everything so nothing would have any purpose which is the only reason anything needs to exists that it serves some purpose for its existance