Chasing Our Own Tails At Light-Speed

Very rich conversation here (and below) between Jeffrey Mishlove and Bernardo Kastrup, revolving largely around the differences between materialism and idealism–with Mr. Kastrup advocating for a particular form of metaphysical idealism.

The materialist assumption of consciousness being produced by matter (which exists independently of consciousness) is what Bernardo dubs as “chasing our own tails at light-speed.” Why? —

Because the notion of matter arises–as a mental abstraction–within consciousness. While we experience consciousness directly (it is our most intimate experience), the notion of matter–as something wholly independent of consciousness–is just that: a notion, an inference arrived at via mental reasoning.

To assume that matter creates consciousness is akin to arguing that a painting creates the painter: that Van Gogh, for instance, arises out of The Starry Night. But The Starry Night is Van Gogh’s creation–not the other way around. Just so–Mr. Kastrup proposes–the idea of “matter” is our creation.

Other topics touched on include:

• The value of myth, as a portal into intuitive wisdom not available to the intellect, i.e. how myth is ontologically prior to conceptual models.
• Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation.
• The curious case of NDEs, psychedelic-induced experiences, and pilot G-force training–all of which involve decreased neurological activity yet radically enriched subjective experience.

Enjoy!