Ebook The Idea of the World A MultiDisciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality Bernardo Kastrup
Download As PDF : The Idea of the World A MultiDisciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality Bernardo Kastrup
A rigorous case for the primacy of mind in nature, from philosophy to neuroscience, psychology and physics. The Idea of the World offers a grounded alternative to the frenzy of unrestrained abstractions and unexamined assumptions in philosophy and science today. This book examines what can be learned about the nature of reality based on conceptual parsimony, straightforward logic and empirical evidence from fields as diverse as physics and neuroscience. It compiles an overarching case for idealism - the notion that reality is essentially mental - from ten original articles the author has previously published in leading academic journals. The case begins with an exposition of the logical fallacies and internal contradictions of the reigning physicalist ontology and its popular alternatives, such as bottom-up panpsychism. It then advances a compelling formulation of idealism that elegantly makes sense of - and reconciles - classical and quantum worlds. The main objections to idealism are systematically refuted and empirical evidence is reviewed that corroborates the formulation presented here. The book closes with an analysis of the hidden psychological motivations behind mainstream physicalism and the implications of idealism for the way we relate to the world.
Ebook The Idea of the World A MultiDisciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality Bernardo Kastrup
"I admit I stopped reading this book after about 70 pages. Why? Because it was obviously going off the rails, like so many other similar explanations of the nature of reality. The ability to make assumptions endures even when a person bases their whole argument on not making unprovable assumptions.
The assumption the author rightly identifies as the downfall of materialism (which he calls physicalism) is that the material universe actually exists. To anyone who can perform rational thinking (except, perhaps, most scientists), it is clear that there is no absolute proof the material universe exists. As the author states, all we have is our experience to go on. It tells us that the material universe exists, but it can never offer direct contact with any material universe.
Whether or not the material universe actually exists, the idea that it exists is an assumption we make. It's a valuable assumption as it leads to all kinds of technological progress. But we need to agree it is not provable. It is just useful.
So far, the author is on track. However, then the author tells us that his philosophy of reality is going to explain the existence of multiple consciousnesses. That is, it will explain why "we" all inhabit the same universe. The existence of other consciousnesses is just as unprovable as the existence of the material universe. Just as we have no direct access to any material universe, we have no direct access to any other consciousness.
Having assumed the existence of these countless other minds, the author creates a logical explanation for them According to him, the universe is one consciousness with the psychological disorder of dissociation. That is, the universe is nuts.
Attempting to explicate this strange behavior of the universe becomes the author's "hard problem", akin to the hard problem of materialists explaining the existence of consciousness.
I don't understand what the author means when he say this one consciousness is the entire universe. Though I might ask, What universe? You just said the material universe does not exist.
I will add one more problem with the author's philosophy. He rightly says that the material universe is an idea, not a thing. It is a concept. But he goes on to talk about the basic "substrate" of consciousness, the mind. Really? And is "the mind" something other than a concept itself? If there is no material universe, then there is also no mind.
As Zen adepts have said, "if you see the Buddha walking down the road, kill the Buddha". Which means, Buddha is a concept too. Unfortunately everything is a concept, including every philosophy ever invented. All are concepts. Perhaps useful, some of them. Perhaps fun to play with. But explaining nothing about the true nature of reality.
Unfortunately, we are stuck in experience. It is all we have. We will never get out. And we can never understand how or why it exists.
I gave this book 5 stars because it is a first step in breaking the frozen waters of scientific dogma. One day, thanks to this book and others, the prevailing paradigm will indeed be that the material universe does not exist. Alas, a generation or two of scientists are going to have to move on from the material universe before that happens. But it will happen."
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The Idea of the World A MultiDisciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality Bernardo Kastrup Reviews :
The Idea of the World A MultiDisciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality Bernardo Kastrup Reviews
- I admit I stopped reading this book after about 70 pages. Why? Because it was obviously going off the rails, like so many other similar explanations of the nature of reality. The ability to make assumptions endures even when a person bases their whole argument on not making unprovable assumptions.
The assumption the author rightly identifies as the downfall of materialism (which he calls physicalism) is that the material universe actually exists. To anyone who can perform rational thinking (except, perhaps, most scientists), it is clear that there is no absolute proof the material universe exists. As the author states, all we have is our experience to go on. It tells us that the material universe exists, but it can never offer direct contact with any material universe.
Whether or not the material universe actually exists, the idea that it exists is an assumption we make. It's a valuable assumption as it leads to all kinds of technological progress. But we need to agree it is not provable. It is just useful.
So far, the author is on track. However, then the author tells us that his philosophy of reality is going to explain the existence of multiple consciousnesses. That is, it will explain why "we" all inhabit the same universe. The existence of other consciousnesses is just as unprovable as the existence of the material universe. Just as we have no direct access to any material universe, we have no direct access to any other consciousness.
Having assumed the existence of these countless other minds, the author creates a logical explanation for them According to him, the universe is one consciousness with the psychological disorder of dissociation. That is, the universe is nuts.
Attempting to explicate this strange behavior of the universe becomes the author's "hard problem", akin to the hard problem of materialists explaining the existence of consciousness.
I don't understand what the author means when he say this one consciousness is the entire universe. Though I might ask, What universe? You just said the material universe does not exist.
I will add one more problem with the author's philosophy. He rightly says that the material universe is an idea, not a thing. It is a concept. But he goes on to talk about the basic "substrate" of consciousness, the mind. Really? And is "the mind" something other than a concept itself? If there is no material universe, then there is also no mind.
As Zen adepts have said, "if you see the Buddha walking down the road, kill the Buddha". Which means, Buddha is a concept too. Unfortunately everything is a concept, including every philosophy ever invented. All are concepts. Perhaps useful, some of them. Perhaps fun to play with. But explaining nothing about the true nature of reality.
Unfortunately, we are stuck in experience. It is all we have. We will never get out. And we can never understand how or why it exists.
I gave this book 5 stars because it is a first step in breaking the frozen waters of scientific dogma. One day, thanks to this book and others, the prevailing paradigm will indeed be that the material universe does not exist. Alas, a generation or two of scientists are going to have to move on from the material universe before that happens. But it will happen. - Critically important topics dissected with razor-sharp precision. Kastrup is such a clear thinker, and the ideas he espouses deserve much more mainstream recognition than they currently get. It will be fascinating to see if physicalists can generate compelling rebuttals while taking into account the totality of Kastrup’s meticulously-constructed case.
- Dr. Bernardo Kastup’s book “The Idea of the World†is a work that ties together several of his previous papers into one very strong and coherent defense of idealism. Dr. Kastrup not only presents a powerful argument for idealism, but also presents the most prevalent arguments against the idealist ontology and takes them on one at a time. Kastrup is a very clear thinker and articulate communicator who carefully chooses his words and allegories to make his case. This could be one of the greatest works of philosophy in our generation and is sure to persuade a reexamination of our fundamental assumptions about reality.
- With "The Idea of the World", Bernardo Kastrup has not only penned the first full-fledged masterstroke in the long overdue take down of the still reigning Materialist world view, he has also outlined a rigorously coherent case for the legitimacy and need for a New Idealism, a new ontological paradigm befitting of the 21st Century and beyond. Oh, and he also solves (or rather, dismantles) the "hard problem of consciousness" in this book as well. A Must Read!
- It's been a strange trip, to travel through Kastrup's idea of the world. Along with many familiar views turned somewhat askew, I encountered a few new ones. In several cases -- "Relational Quantum Mechanics," "Idealism," "Berkeley," "Dualism" -- I found SEP articles helpful backgrounders, though even then pulling them in line with the text was a somewhat strenuous gymnastic. But I soldiered on, and think I grasped the broad outlines if not many of the details of Kastrup's new adventure in Idealism. It is an unforgettable vision for sure.
With the logical progression and force of the argument, there is one overarching perspective which may be overlooked much of the majestic tapestry woven together here is largely speculative. Kastrup is open about this. For example, about his presentation of relational quantum mechanics he declares, "The interpretation suggested above shall remain a matter of philosophical speculation until somebody writes down the wave function for the thoughts of a conscious human being (r) and formalizes the interaction dynamics between it and ψ." Did you get it? A philosophical speculation. But a grand one, and quite plausible, or at least an intuitively satisfying foundation for building a view that reality is pure mind.
Making everything mental, it's an exhilarating adventure of the mind as we know it. Take the dive, plunge in, explore the way everything may be different than we ordinarily think. - I am enjoying and recommend this book! It addresses the fundamentality of predictions and observations in terms of "epistemic confidence", without taking "human thoughts" and "mind" for granted; so where I believe we might qualify the general premise as "mind", we can remain certain that the author is on target in his comparisons.
- I don't completely agree with Kastrup's arguments for idealism but his case is compelling and difficult to refute.
Anyone who seriously thinks about consciousness should read the book.
