Source: From "An idealist perspective on God and religion" interview featuring Bernardo Kastrup on the "Revisioning Religion" YouTube channel, 2023.
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This podcast presents new ideas from philosopher Bernardo Kastrup on God and Religion. The discussion centers on Kastrup's idealist ontology, which posits that reality is fundamentally mental rather than physical, with physicality being only an appearance. We into the implications of this perspective for understanding traditional religious ideas, contemporary spirituality, and the perceived conflict with materialism. The podcast explores the flaws Kastrup sees in materialism, uses quantum physics as supporting evidence for idealism, and draws parallels between his philosophical views and non-dualistic religious traditions like Hindu Advaita Vedanta and mystical aspects of Christianity and Islam. We will see how this idealist framework can offer a different lens through which to understand concepts of God, the nature of reality, and the human experience, contrasting it with the self-help industry's often ego-centric interpretations.
Critique of Materialism: Kastrup argues against the dominant materialistic worldview, asserting that reality is fundamentally mental, not physical. Physicality is merely an appearance, a representation of underlying mental processes.
Idealist Ontology: He presents his idealist ontology, stating that the world is made of "mentation," similar to our inner life. This view is supported by philosophical reasoning and interpretations of findings from neuroscience of consciousness and foundations of physics (specifically quantum mechanics).
The Nature of Matter and Consciousness: Kastrup posits that "matter is defined exhaustively in terms of... quantities," which are human-created descriptions of the qualitative mental world. Materialism mistakenly takes these descriptions as the fundamental reality, leading to the "hard problem of consciousness." He argues that consciousness and qualitative experience cannot emerge from purely quantitative, non-mental matter.
Quantum Mechanics and Idealism: He uses the example of quantum entanglement experiments to argue that physical properties do not have standalone existence prior to measurement. He suggests that physicality arises from observation, implying that the underlying reality is not physical. "Physical properties emerge out of measurement and what that means is that physical properties or physicality or materiality is not a fundamental feature of the world."
The "Dashboard" Metaphor: Kastrup uses the analogy of an airplane pilot flying by instruments (the dashboard) to explain our perception of reality. Our senses are like sensors measuring the objective (but mental) world, and our perception is the "dashboard" – a mental representation, not the world as it is in itself. "The physical world is the dashboard because we are the airplane." Relation to Religion and Spirituality: Kastrup connects his idealist view to traditional religious and spiritual concepts of a universal consciousness or divine mind. He suggests that the "cosmic mind" or the mentality underlying the universe, from which individual minds are dissociations, can be equated with God.
Non-Dualism vs. Dualism: While acknowledging the practical usefulness of dualistic perspectives, Kastrup ultimately leans towards a non-dualist view, aligning with traditions like Advaita Vedanta and mystical aspects of Christianity and Islam. He believes that the perceived duality arises from dissociation within the fundamental field of subjectivity.
The Role of the Brain: He views brain activity not as generating consciousness but as what consciousness looks like from an external, dissociated perspective. The brain is an appearance of underlying mental processes.
Meaning of Life and Service: Drawing inspiration from Jung's "Answer to Job," Kastrup suggests that the meaning of life is to help the universal consciousness (God) become self-reflective and capable of value judgments. He emphasizes the importance of "service" to the transpersonal over ego-centric pursuits.
Critique of Self-Help and Positive Thinking: He critiques the self-help industry's focus on individual happiness and the "mind over matter" aspects of positive thinking, seeing them as ego-reifying and potentially dysfunctional. True fulfillment comes from service to something larger than oneself.
Shifting Worldview: Kastrup observes a growing disillusionment with materialism and an increasing openness to idealist perspectives in contemporary society, evidenced by the difficulty in finding materialists willing to publicly defend their position and his own increasing engagement with mainstream scientific and media platforms.