Joscha Bach: Why Consciousness Is Computation All the Way Down

I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE Joscha Bach explores the nature of intelligence, consciousness, and reality, tackling questions from the definition of truth to the existence of free will. He contrasts various theories of consciousness, discusses the role of art and society, and presents his own model of control, attention, and reflective recall.0:00 Introduction0:17 Work ethic and daily routine1:35 Definition of truth4:41 Quantum graph as nature's substratum6:25 Mathematics as language descriptor13:52 Constructivist mathematics and reality17:06 Meaning of existence and pi20:14 Something vs nothing, existence default21:11 Bach's model vs multiverse26:51 Is the universe deterministic28:23 Determining initial conditions and rules30:55 Nature of time, fundamental?34:21 Optimal algorithm for finding truth40:40 Simplicity of fundamental laws50:17 Art and the artist's cost function54:02 Ideas as stories driven by intuitions58:00 Society's minimal role in training intuitions59:24 Art under repressive government1:04 01 Market case for civil rights1:06 40 Fascism vs communism1:10 50 Control/attention/reflective recall model1:13 32 Consciousness vs attention1:16 02 Chinese Room experiment1:25 22 Understanding predicated on consciousness1:26 22 Integrated Information Theory (IIT)1:30 15 Donald Hoffman's consciousness theory1:32 40 Hofstadter's strange loop theory1:34 10 Holonomic brain theory1:34 42 Dennett's consciousness theory1:36 57 Sensorimotor (embodied cognition) theory1:44 39 What is intelligence?1:45 08 Intelligence vs consciousness1:46 36 Free will in Bach's model1:48 46 Opposite of free will and addiction1:51 48 Changing identity to live forever1:59 13 Depersonalization and illusory self2:02 25 Fear of loss of control2:05 00 Heart and conscience2:07 28 Testing/falsifying Bach's consciousness model2:13 46 Evolution of Bach's model2:14 41 Stopping lucid dreaming2:15 33 Dreams and GANs2:18 08 Why we don't remember dreams2:19 58 Are dreams real? Is reality a dream?2:20 39 Practically improving experience2:23 56 What matters more than survival?2:28 27 Bach's identity2:29 44 Is hating humanity objectively wrong?2:30 31 Practical Platonism2:33 00 What "God" is2:36 24 Gods as real as you claim2:37 44 Nature of prayer and its effect2:41 06 Society losing future and culture2:43 24 Disagreement with Jordan Peterson2:47 16 Millennials as authoritarian generation2:48 31 Views on social justice movement2:51 29 UBI vs social inequality and AGI2:57 39 Nested hierarchy of "I"s2:59 22 Innovation as "cheating" in USA3:02 27 Activists operating on false info3:03 04 Bach's Marxist roots and lessons3:08 45 BONUS BIT: Societal problemsRESOURCES:- YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MNBxfrmfmI Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. FOLLOW: Substack | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter - Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices