Bernardo Kastrup - Why All of Reality is Mental & Physicalism is a Lie

Bernardo Kastrup is a philosopher of mind and the leading voice for metaphysical idealism — the view that all of reality is essentially mental. He holds PhDs in both Philosophy and Computer Engineering and has worked at CERN and the Philips Research Laboratories, where the Casimir Effect of Quantum Field Theory was discovered. He founded the parallel processing company Silicon Hive, acquired by Intel in 2011, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Essentia Foundation — dedicated to presenting scientific and analytic evidence challenging traditional materialism. He is the author of over ten books including "Why Materialism is Baloney," "The Idea of the World," and the upcoming "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell."In this conversation, we explore the pivotal events and influences that shaped Bernardo's thinking, the simplest explanation of idealism and why all of reality is mental, and why the brain does not generate the mind — one of the most important and counterintuitive arguments in contemporary philosophy of consciousness.We get into whether idealism can be tested scientifically, how idealism impacts meaning in life, psychedelics and self-deception, how Bernardo avoids getting trapped in his own ideas, and the relationship between intellectual pursuits, human connection, and loneliness.We also explore suffering, happiness, responsibility, and contentment; Bernardo's conception of enlightenment through the story of the monk who set himself on fire; what makes him most angry about society; what he's most worried about; and what he believes will never disappear.A profound and wide-ranging conversation at the intersection of philosophy of mind, consciousness studies, and the deepest questions of human existence.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗Bernardo's personal site Follow Bernardo on Twitter Analytic Idealism course — free Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell — pre-order Why Materialism is Baloney — in-depth book summary Rupert Spira David Chalmers Christof Koch Giulio Tononi Integrated Information Theory Shinzen Young Iain McGilchrist The monk who set himself on fire Song to the Siren — This Mortal Coil Moving On — James The Double Life of Véronique — film🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️0:00 - Introduction2:33 - Pivotal events and influences that shaped Bernardo8:32 - From intellectual to experiential understanding13:02 - Fear of death15:54 - The simplest explanation of idealism19:12 - A dream in the infinite mind or dissociation23:33 - The thinkers who most influenced Bernardo Kastrup26:40 - Is there a way to test idealism scientifically?33:13 - Why the mind is not generated by the brain37:58 - You can never convince someone of something they don't already know39:56 - How does idealism impact meaning in life?45:49 - Psychedelics, self-deception and symbolism51:02 - How Bernardo avoids getting trapped in his ideas1:00:10 - Intellectual pursuits, human connection and loneliness1:08:46 - Capacities Bernardo wishes he innately had1:12:14 - Suffering, happiness, responsibility and contentment1:32:22 - Bernardo's conception of enlightenment — the monk who set himself on fire1:37:13 - What makes Bernardo most angry about society1:40:13 - What Bernardo is most worried about1:45:52 - Crying tears of joy1:53:29 - What makes "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell" unique1:56:35 - What Bernardo is writing about now2:00:09 - What will never disappear*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast *Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional