Iain McGilchrist - Consciousness and Deep Ontology

[Gaugamela]

A brief and engaging discussion of consciousness, matter, and the cosmos. This perspective on consciousness, called philosophical idealism, has been around from the beginning of civilization, and probably long before. Many of the big names in philosophy were idealists. Scientific materialism (or physicalism), the alernative to idealism which believes that matter is foundational, is a relatively modern perspective which, while enjoying a period of cultural dominance, is being increasingly questioned by both modern philosophy and physics. Iain McGilchrist, Don Hanson, Bernardo Kastrup, and Frederico Faggin are a few of the contemporary philosophers who are exploring idealism. They all have a strong background in science.

What is the relationship between consciousness and the nature of ultimate reality? Some say there is no relationship; consciousness is a late, contingent product of biological evolution. Others say consciousness is irreducible and fundamental, whether part of ultimate reality or all of it. Does it make sense to explore consciousness and cosmos together?

Iain McGilchrist FRSA is a British psychiatrist, philosopher and neuroscientist who wrote the 2009 book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.

[ShazamIam]

1. Our existence is all thought, something I realized many years ago. Thoughts are things we are not only subject to our

own thoughts but the thoughts of those around us and every thought in existence from the beginning of humanity.

[ariadne0614]

2. Thanks for posting!

I’m hooked on his left/right hemisphere theory, and listen to the treasure trove of his YouTube lectures and discussions almost every day. Not to be missed is his website— https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/. Through Iain, I also discovered Terence McKenna, Rupert Sheldrake, Matt David Segall, and other amazing thinkers.

[Gaugamela]

3. Yep, I've spent many hours listening to Terence and Rupert. I'll have to check out Segall. And

thanks for the link!

[Gaugamela]

4. By the way, it occurred to me that you might like The Telepathy Tapes podcast, if you

haven’t already heard them. It kind of falls into the McKenna/Sheldrake milieu. I believe it was the most highly rated podcast of the last year.

[ariadne0614]

5. Thanks!

I will look for it. Just this morning, I was listening to Terence holding forth at a weekend retreat. Telepathy was among the many fascinating threads he followed. The through line of my life has led me to a place where I suddenly can’t seem to get enough.