Podcast appearances and mentions of David Chalmers

What if there's something it's like to be a shrimp — or a chatbot?For centuries, humans have debated the nature of consciousness, often placing ourselves at the very top. But what about the minds of others — both the animals we share this planet with and the artificial intelligences we're creating?We've pulled together clips from past conversations with researchers and philosophers who've spent years trying to make sense of animal consciousness, artificial sentience, and moral consideration under deep uncertainty.Links to learn more and full transcript: https://80k.info/nhsChapters:Cold open (00:00:00)Luisa's intro (00:00:57)Robert Long on what we should picture when we think about artificial sentience (00:02:49)Jeff Sebo on what the threshold is for AI systems meriting moral consideration (00:07:22)Meghan Barrett on the evolutionary argument for insect sentience (00:11:24)Andrés Jiménez Zorrilla on whether there's something it's like to be a shrimp (00:15:09)Jonathan Birch on the cautionary tale of newborn pain (00:21:53)David Chalmers on why artificial consciousness is possible (00:26:12)Holden Karnofsky on how we'll see digital people as... people (00:32:18)Jeff Sebo on grappling with our biases and ignorance when thinking about sentience (00:38:59)Bob Fischer on how to think about the moral weight of a chicken (00:49:37)Cameron Meyer Shorb on the range of suffering in wild animals (01:01:41)Sébastien Moro on whether fish are conscious or sentient (01:11:17)David Chalmers on when to start worrying about artificial consciousness (01:16:36)Robert Long on how we might stumble into causing AI systems enormous suffering (01:21:04)Jonathan Birch on how we might accidentally create artificial sentience (01:26:13)Anil Seth on which parts of the brain are required for consciousness (01:32:33)Peter Godfrey-Smith on uploads of ourselves (01:44:47)Jonathan Birch on treading lightly around the “edge cases” of sentience (02:00:12)Meghan Barrett on whether brain size and sentience are related (02:05:25)Lewis Bollard on how animal advocacy has changed in response to sentience studies (02:12:01)Bob Fischer on using proxies to determine sentience (02:22:27)Cameron Meyer Shorb on how we can practically study wild animals' subjective experiences (02:26:28)Jeff Sebo on the problem of false positives in assessing artificial sentience (02:33:16)Stuart Russell on the moral rights of AIs (02:38:31)Buck Shlegeris on whether AI control strategies make humans the bad guys (02:41:50)Meghan Barrett on why she can't be totally confident about insect sentience (02:47:12)Bob Fischer on what surprised him most about the findings of the Moral Weight Project (02:58:30)Jeff Sebo on why we're likely to sleepwalk into causing massive amounts of suffering in AI systems (03:02:46)Will MacAskill on the rights of future digital beings (03:05:29)Carl Shulman on sharing the world with digital minds (03:19:25)Luisa's outro (03:33:43)Audio engineering: Ben Cordell, Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic ArmstrongAdditional content editing: Katy Moore and Milo McGuireTranscriptions and web: Katy Moore

Jack sits down with David Chalmers, renowned philosopher of mind, to explore the provocative question: Is virtual reality real? They explore the blurred boundaries between the virtual and the physical, consciousness, and presence. Together, they consider whether digital worlds can hold the same ontological weight as the "real" world, and what that means for the future of how we live, think, and perceive.

Neuroscientist Anil Seth explores how the brain constructs our sense of self and reality in Episode 94 of Brave New World with Vasant Dhar, offering insights on the boundary between perception and consciousness. Useful Resources: 1. Anil Seth2. Being You: A New Science Of Consciousness – Anil Seth. 3. TED Talk: Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Reality – Anil Seth. 4. Predictive Coding5. Hermann Helmhotz and Unconscious Interference. 6. Priming In Psychology. 7. Reality Is A Controlled Hallucination – Anil Seth. 8. Computational Functionalism. 9. How The Mind Works – Steven Pinker. 10. Ned Block, Co-Director, Centre for Mind, Brain and Consciousness, NYU. 11. Thomas Nagel. 12. Claude Shannon and Information Theory. 13. David Chalmers, Co-Director, Centre for Mind, Brain and Consciousness, NYU. 14. Panel Discussion at The World Science Festival, Moderated By Brain Green. 15. Stevan Harnard and the Symbol Grounding Problem. 16. Pippa Ehrlich On The Mysteries of The Sea – Episode 77 Of Brave New World. 17. A Tiger For Malgudi – RK Narayan. 18. Kevin Mitchell Makes A Case For Free Will – Episode 80 Of Brave New World. 19. Marcello Massimini20. Robert Sapolsky. 21. Robert Sapolsky on Free Will. 20. Compatibilism. 21. The Emergent Properties of The Connected Brain. 22. Aaron Schurger. 23. Benjamin Libett. 24. Readiness Potential. Check out Vasant Dhar's newsletter on Substack. The subscription is free!  

Andrés Gómez Emilsson, director of the Qualia Research Institute and a pioneering researcher in the mathematical study of consciousness, explores the nature of awareness from both philosophical and scientific angles. He recounts his journey that led to founding the Qualia Research Institute—aimed at reducing suffering and enhancing experience. He discusses the transformative potential of psychedelics, the view of the self as a series of experiences, and how sensory resonance ("impedance matching") shapes our awareness. As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join Timestamps: 00:00 The Most Important Problem 01:49 The Hard Problem and Ontologies 05:15 Journey into Consciousness 09:06 The Qualia Research Institute 10:49 Shattering Realities 17:12 Happiness vs. Meaning 19:15 Defining Happiness 25:28 Psychological Egoism 33:45 Understanding Consciousness 38:01 The Qualia Research Institute's Goals 49:21 Exploring Impedance Matching 58:25 The Dance of Dissonance 1:03:22 The Nature of Suffering 1:10:32 The Concept of Oneness 1:17:02 Zero Ontology Explained 1:27:20 The Nature of Reality 1:28:57 The Self and Sense of Self 1:30:53 Stages of Consciousness 1:37:35 Transformations in Consciousness 1:46:20 The Role of Psychedelics 2:02:01 Exploring 5-MeO-DMT 2:21:03 Psychedelics and Buddhist Philosophy 2:45:32 Insights on Jhana States 2:51:31 Conclusion and Reflections Links Mentioned: - Qualia Research Institute (website): https://qri.org/ - Andres's Qualia profile: https://qri.org/people/andr%C3%A9s-g%C3%B3mez-emilsson - David Chalmers's 2024 presentation at Mindfest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r9V1ryksnw - Bernardo Kastrup on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAB21FAXCDE - The Hedonistic Imperative (book): https://amzn.to/3Di7Xx5 - Why Does Anything Exist? (book): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Does-Anything-Exist-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0DKBHMC3C - Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (book): https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Core-Teachings-Buddha-Unusually/dp/1911597108 - Andres on The DemystifySci Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjWDURKNe2Q - ‘Replications' group on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/replications/ - Stuart Hameroff's Mindfest presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bQwdJir1o - The Doors of Perception (book): https://amzn.to/4ijduTb - From Neural Activity to Field Topology (article): https://qualiacomputing.com/2025/02/09/from-neural-activity-to-field-topology-how-coupling-kernels-shape-consciousness/ - Seeing That Frees (book): https://amzn.to/43fm15m - Practicing the Jhanas (meditation series): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO6hhaAzLmiqUzBYuLLJQ8FexOTRxz8xF - The Dalai Lama, Psychedelics & Cher (article): https://tricycle.org/article/dalai-lama-psychedelics-cher/ - Advice to Sigālaka (article): https://suttacentral.net/dn31/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science #consciousness #mind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the complete Iceberg of Consciousness. As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join --------------------- LAYER 1 01:31 – Introduction to Layer 1 01:38 – What Is Consciousness? 04:20 – The Mind-Body Problem 06:02 – Sleep, Dreams, and Altered States 08:53 – Free Will vs. Determinism 10:58 – The Self and Identity LAYER 2 12:56 – Introduction to Layer 2 13:02 – The Hard Problem of Consciousness 16:59 – Qualia and Phenomenal Consciousness 19:27 – Advaita Vedanta (Non-Dualism) 22:59 – John Vervaeke's Relevance Realization 24:45 – Panpsychism and the Combination Problem 26:58 – Buddhist Consciousness (Yogācāra & Madhyamaka) 29:04 – Global Workspace Theory 31:59 – Carl Jung's Explanation for Consciousness LAYER 3 36:03 – Introduction to Layer 3 36:47 – Heidegger's Concept of Dasein 39:28 – Attention Schema Theory (Michael Graziano) 42:53 – EM-Field Topology & Boundary Problem (Andrés Gómez Emilsson) 46:49 – Joscha Bach's Theory 53:41 – Donald Hoffman's Theory 57:47 – Nir Lahav's Relativistic Consciousness LAYER 4 01:05:46 – Introduction to Layer 4 01:06:25 – Douglas Hofstadter's Strange Loops 01:11:50 – Penrose's Quantum Consciousness 01:16:04 – Christopher Langan's CTMU 01:20:31 – Johnjoe McFadden's CEMI Field Theory 01:24:24 – David Chalmers' Extended Mind Hypothesis 01:29:18 – Iain McGilchrist's Relational Dual-Aspect Monism LAYER 5 01:33:04 – Introduction to Layer 5 01:34:35 – Bernardo Kastrup's Analytic Idealism 01:38:54 – Karl Friston's Enactive Approach / Free Energy Principle 01:42:12 – Alfred North Whitehead's Pan-Experientialism 01:46:56 – Mark Solms' Felt Uncertainty & Affective Theory 01:51:20 – Thomas Metzinger's Minimal Phenomenal Selfhood --------------------- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science #consciousness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What exactly is consciousness, and why is it such a hard problem to solve? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O'Reilly take you deep into the mysteries of consciousness and objective reality, David Chalmers, a philosopher and cognitive scientist. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/the-hard-problem-of-consciousness-with-david-chalmersThanks to our Patrons Jay, Gregory Aronoff, Tom B. Night, Barnsley, Glenn, Hibachi Flamethrower, Crescencio Maximilian joseph Martinez, Micheal Gomez, Matthew Deane, James, Joe Chillemi, Thomas van Cleave, Kelsey Plugge, Jeff Jones, William Hamilton, and Kevin Cosg. for supporting us this week. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

In search of ourselvesIs the 'self' a useful category, philosophically, psychologically, in our everyday lives? What might it help us do? And where do we find ourselves?Join our mixed panel of speakers as they approach this question from their different points of view - Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers, English explorer and survivalist Ed Stafford and novelist Joanna Kavenna. Recording of this conversation in 2017 was partly corrupted and the audio has been restored as best as possible. The discussion does not resolve this age-old question but rather plays with it. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/You can find everything we referenced here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is reality? What is the nature of consciousness? How do we know that what we are experiencing is base reality and not a simulation? These may seem like the kind of questions that you'd associate with modern concepts like The Matrix and simulation theory, but the fact is that every ancient philosophical tradition has wrestled with these problems in some form or another. And with the advent of rich, complex VR worlds and the nascent metaverse, even more philosophers are turning toward these deep questions of consciousness and the human experience. One of the most interesting thinkers in this space is David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University, and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness. In his latest book, Reality+: virtual worlds and the problems of philosophy, David investigates not only the nature of reality, but how we should conceptualize virtual reality, the idea that we can actually live a meaningful life in VR, how we know there's an external world, and much more. We explore these topics and more in today's wide-ranging conversation, covering everything from the hard problem of consciousness to the probability that we're actually living in a computer simulation. You don't have to be a student of philosophy to enjoy today's conversation - especially if you're as excited as I am about the possibilities being unlocked by virtual reality and the metaverse. [Original air date: March 8, 2022]. And if you want to dive deeper into David's work, you can order his new book, Reality+, by clicking here: https://amzn.to/3vMSS0v SHOW NOTES: 00:00 | Introduction 01:41 | The Hard Problem of Consciousness 10:42 | Consciousness as a Fundamental Law of Nature 17:38 | The Foundations of Simulation Theory 27:33 | Is Reality Made of Information? 39:03 | How to Live a Meaningful Virtual Life 45:10 | The Philosopher's Zombie 51:59 | Orderable States of Consciousness 58:23 | Zhuangzi and the Butterfly 1:05:20 | The Experience Machine 1:14:40 | GPT3 and Deepfakes 1:19:08 | The Future of “Technophilosophy” CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS ButcherBox: Get your choice of a free protein in every box for a year, plus that $20 off your first order with code IMPACT at https://butcherbox.com/impact. Tonal: Go to https://tonal.com and get $200 off with promo code IMPACT. Huel: Try Huel with 15% OFF today using code IMPACT at https://huel.com/impact. Miro: Bring your teams to Miro's revolutionary Innovation Workspace and be faster from idea to outcome at https://miro.com. Design.com: Ready to transform your brand? Head to https://design.com/impacttheory and get up to 88% off. FOLLOW TOM: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/tombilyeu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here. If you're serious about leveling up your life, I urge you to check out my new podcast, Tom Bilyeu's Mindset Playbook —a goldmine of my most impactful episodes on mindset, business, and health. Trust me, your future self will thank you. LISTEN AD FREE + BONUS EPISODES on APPLE PODCASTS: apple.co/impacttheory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intro I think the 80,000 Hours Podcast is a great show. Despite the world of podcasts overflowing with content to choose from, it's reliably been a high-quality production that's been a regular part of my listening habits ever since I discovered it. It was also probably one of the first routes I become more aware of the EA community, which I suspect I might not be alone by.[1] So, as the podcast numbers ticked up, the vague idea to write up a post shouting out some of my favourite episodes took root. I didn't get far with it from there, and now the unreasonable effectiveness of the 80k podcast production team has forced my hand! So in the post I'm going to link to my 10 favourite episodes, along with some final thoughts at the end. I hope to share with you some of my favourite episodes, but I [...] ---Outline:(00:07) Intro(01:12) My Top 10(01:16) 10-4(01:19) 10: #144 – Athena Aktipis on why cancer is actually one of the fundamental phenomena in our universe(01:54) 9: #175 – Lucia Coulter on preventing lead poisoning for $1.66 per child(02:26) 8: #139 – Alan Hájek on puzzles and paradoxes in probability and expected value(03:00) 7: #153 – Elie Hassenfeld on two big picture critiques of GiveWells approach, and six lessons from their recent work(03:39) 6: #129 – Dr James Tibenderana on the state of the art in malaria control and elimination(04:15) 5: #185 – Lewis Bollard on the 7 most promising ways to end factory farming, and whether AI is going to be good or bad for animals(05:00) 4: #67 – David Chalmers on the nature and ethics of consciousness(05:40) Top 3(05:43) 3: #43 – Daniel Ellsberg on the creation of nuclear doomsday machines, the institutional insanity that maintains them, and how they could be dismantled(06:22) 2: #145 – Christopher Brown on why slavery abolition wasnt inevitable(07:07) 1: #100 – Having a successful career with depression, anxiety and imposter syndrome(07:51) Final Thoughts(07:54) Honourable Mentions(08:10) #52 – Glen Weyl on radical institutional reforms that make capitalism and democracy work better, and how to get them(08:52) #116 – Luisa Rodriguez on why global catastrophes seem unlikely to kill us all(09:29) #190 – Eric Schwitzgebel on whether the US is conscious(09:59) But JWS, where are the AI episodes?(12:03) EpilogueThe original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 9th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/C8HWX3XsoB3krSkbm/my-top-10-picks-from-200-episodes-of-the-80k-podcast --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Our guest today is Pedro Domingos, who is joining an elite group of repeat guests – he joined us before in episode 34 in April 2023.Pedro is Professor Emeritus Of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He has done pioneering work in machine learning, like the development of Markov logic networks, which combine probabilistic reasoning with first-order logic. He is probably best known for his book "The Master Algorithm" which describes five different "tribes" of AI researchers, and argues that progress towards human-level general intelligence requires a unification of their approaches.More recently, Pedro has become a trenchant critic of what he sees as exaggerated claims about the power and potential of today's AI, and of calls to impose constraints on it.He has just published “2040: A Silicon Valley Satire”, a novel which ridicules Big Tech and also American politics.Selected follow-ups:Pedro Domingos - University of WashingtonPrevious London Futurists Podcast episode featuring Pedro Domingos2040: A Silicon Valley SatireThe Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our WorldThe Bonfire of the VanitiesRon HowardMike JudgeMartin ScorsesePandora's BrainTranscendenceFuture of Life Institute moratorium open letterOpenAI working on new reasoning technology under code name ‘Strawberry'Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach - by Stuart Russell and Peter NorvigGoogle's AI reasons its way around the London Underground - NatureConsciumIs LaMDA Sentient? — an Interview - by Blake LemoineCould a Large Language Model be Conscious? - Talk by David Chalmers at NeurIPS 2022Jeremy BenthamThe Extended Phenotype - 1982 book by Richard DawkinsClarion West: Workshops for people who are serious about writingMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

Gregory Chaitin is a pioneering mathematician and computer scientist, renowned for founding algorithmic information theory. Gregory published his first groundbreaking paper at the age of 15 and has been a key figure at the Institute for Advanced Study, contributing extensively to the fields of metabiology and complexity theory. YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/PoEuav8G6sY Become a YouTube Member Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org Links: - Algorithmic Information Theory (book): https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Information-Cambridge-Theoretical-Computer/dp/0521616042 - Gregory Chaitin on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMPnrNL3zsE - Institute for Advanced Study (site): https://www.ias.edu/ - Joscha Bach and Karl Friston on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcQMYNi9a2w - Brian Greene on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2EtTE9Czzo - World Science Festival (site): https://cdn.worldsciencefestival.com/ - The Limits of Understanding (Chaitin and Minsky): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfY-DRsE86s - Rebecca Goldstein on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkL3BcKEB6Y - Rebecca Goldstein's novel: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Body-Problem-Contemporary-American-Fiction/dp/0140172459 - Rebecca Goldstein's book on Spinoza: https://www.amazon.com/Betraying-Spinoza-Renegade-Modernity-Encounters-ebook/dp/B002JKVXG4/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=rivGj&content-id=amzn1.sym.f76d456a-cb0d-44de-b7b0-670c26ce80ba&pf_rd_p=f76d456a-cb0d-44de-b7b0-670c26ce80ba&pf_rd_r=138-5679914-4668743&pd_rd_wg=AKE2J&pd_rd_r=752b687b-83e1-4181-b3e6-789765943a84&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk - Stephen Wolfram on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YRlQQw0d-4 - David Chalmers's book: https://www.amazon.com/Conscious-Mind-Search-Fundamental-Philosophy/dp/0195117891 - David Chalmers on Mindfest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r9V1ryksnw Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Contradictions in Mathematics 10:56 - Generating New Ideas 21:10 - Physics in History 23:17 - Academia is like a Prison 26:09 - Philosophers and Math 37:41 - Advice for Curt 42:15 - Outro / Support TOE Support TOE: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch Follow TOE: - NEW Get my 'Top 10 TOEs' PDF + Weekly Personal Updates: https://www.curtjaimungal.org - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoriesofeverythingpod - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoriesofeverything_ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we discuss David Chalmers' article "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" with special guest Brother X. This article breaks down his famous "Hard problem of consciousness", which is essentially how to explain the phenomenon of experience. We also of course go on many tangents about why it's even important to discuss consciousness. Disclaimer: All opinions are our own, respectively, and don't represent any institution we may or may not be a part of, respectively.

Join Scott Snibbe, a renowned speaker and the founder of a Skeptics Path to Enlightenment, as he dives into exploring human consciousness through science and spirituality. In this enlightening session, Scott reflects on his early fascination with consciousness sparked by philosophical works and his subsequent discovery of Buddhist perspectives.He critically examines the concept of consciousness through scientific and philosophical lenses, discussing theories from notable figures such as Daniel Dennett and David Chalmers. This video offers insight into the profound questions of human consciousness and its relation to our subjective experiences.Watch the full talk hereLearn more about Scott SnibbeScience & Wisdom LIVE brings meditation practitioners in conversation with scientists to address the problems of contemporary society and come to new possible solutions.Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on YoutubeVisit our Website

In the coming decades, the technology that enables virtual and augmented reality will improve beyond recognition. Within a century, world-renowned philosopher David J. Chalmers predicts, we will have virtual worlds that are impossible to distinguish from non-virtual worlds. But is virtual reality just escapism? In a highly original work of 'technophilosophy', Chalmers argues categorically, no: virtual reality is genuine reality. Virtual worlds are not second-class worlds. We can live a meaningful life in virtual reality - and increasingly, we will. What is reality, anyway? How can we lead a good life? Is there a god? How do we know there's an external world - and how do we know we're not living in a computer simulation? In Reality+, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of philosophy, using cutting-edge technology to provide invigorating new answers to age-old questions. David J. Chalmers is an Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist specializing in the areas of philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. He is Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University, as well as co-director of NYU's Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness. Chalmers is best known for his work on consciousness, including his formulation of the "hard problem of consciousness." Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy https://amzn.to/3RYyGD2 https://consc.net/ https://x.com/davidchalmers42 00:00:00 Reality+ Intro 00:12:02 GPT conscious? 10/10 00:14:19 The consciousness processor thought experiment (11/10) 00:20:34 Intelligence and Consciousness entangled? 10/10 00:22:44 Karl Friston / Meta Problem 10/10 00:29:05 Knowledge argument / subjective experience (6/10) 00:32:34 Emergence 11/10 (best chapter) 00:42:45 Working with Douglas Hofstadter 10/10 00:46:14 Intelligence is analogy making? 10/10 00:50:47 Intelligence explosion 8/10 00:58:44 Hypercomputation 10/10 01:09:44 Who designed the designer? (7/10) 01:13:57 Experience machine (7/10)

A new MP3 sermon from Shiloh Hall is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Husbands Love Your Wives, Even As Christ Also Loved The Church And Gave Himself For Speaker: David Chalmers Broadcaster: Shiloh Hall Event: Sunday Service Date: 6/30/2024 Bible: Ephesians 5:25 Length: 46 min.

A cluster of brain cells in a dish, pulsing with electrical activity. A bee buzzing its way through a garden in bloom. A newborn baby staring up into his mother's eyes. What all these entities have in common is that we don't quite know what it's like to be them—or, really, whether it's like anything at all. We don't really know, in other words, whether they're conscious. But maybe we could know—if only we developed the right test.  My guest today is Dr. Tim Bayne. Tim is Professor of Philosophy at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He's a philosopher of mind and cognitive science, with a particular interest in the nature of consciousness. Along with a large team of co-authors, Tim recently published an article titled 'Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond.' In it, they review the current landscape of consciousness tests—or “C-tests”, as they call them—and outline strategies for building more and better tests down the road.  Here, Tim and I discuss what consciousness is and why theories of it seem to be proliferating. We consider several of the boundary cases that are most hotly debated right now in the field—cases like brain organoids, neonates, and split-brain patients. We sketch a few of the most prominent current consciousness tests: the command following test, the sniff test, the unlimited associative learning test, and the test for AI consciousness. We talk about how we might be able to inch our way, slowly, toward something like a thermometer for consciousness: a universal test that tells us whether an entity is conscious, or to what degree, or even what kind of conscious it is. Along the way, Tim and I talk about zombies, chatbots, brains in vats, and islands of awareness. And we muse about how, in certain respects, consciousness is like temperature, or perhaps more like happiness or wealth or intelligence, and maybe even a bit like fire.  I think you'll enjoy this one, friends—it's a thought-provoking conversation on a foundational topic, and one that takes us far and wide. So without further ado, here's my interview with Dr. Tim Bayne. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 4:45 – The philosopher Dan Dennett, who passed way in April, was known for his writings on consciousness—among them his 1991 book, Consciousness Explained. 7:00 – The classic paper on the neural correlates of consciousness, by Francis Crick and Christof Koch.   9:00 – A recent review of theories of consciousness by Anil Seth and Dr. Bayne. 10:00 – David Chalmers' classic paper on the “hard problem” of consciousness.  13:00 – Thomas Nagel's classic paper on what it's like to be a bat. 20:00 – A recent paper by James Croxford and Dr. Bayne arguing against consciousness in brain organoids. 23:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Bayne and colleagues about the emergence of consciousness in infants.  27:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Bayne and colleagues about consciousness in split-brain patients. An earlier paper by Dr. Bayne on the same topic. 30:00 – A paper by Dr. Bayne, Anil Seth, and Marcello Massimini on the notion of “islands of awareness.” 35:00 – The classic paper using the “(covert) command following test” in a patient in a so-called vegetative state.  38:00 – A 2020 paper introducing the “sniff test.”  40:00 – A recent primer on the “unlimited associative learning” test.  43:00 – An essay (preview only), by the philosopher Susan Schneider, proposing the AI consciousness test. 50:00 – The history of the scientific understanding of temperature is detailed in Hasok Chang's book, Inventing Temperature. 53:30 – Different markers of consciousness in infants are reviewed in Dr. Bayne and colleagues' recent paper. 1:03:00 – The ‘New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness' was announced in April. Read about it here.   Recommendations Being You, Anil Seth Into the Gray Zone, Adrian Owen Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala.  Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

Here is a panel between David Chalmers and Scott Aaronson at Mindfest 2024. This discussion covers the philosophical implications of the simulation hypothesis, exploring whether our reality might be a simulation and engaging with various perspectives on the topic.This presentation was recorded at MindFest, held at Florida Atlantic University, CENTER FOR THE FUTURE MIND, spearheaded by Susan Schneider.YouTube: https://youtu.be/7PlmOXQ18jk Please consider signing up for TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org  Support TOE: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch  Follow TOE: - *NEW* Get my 'Top 10 TOEs' PDF + Weekly Personal Updates: https://www.curtjaimungal.org - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoriesofeverythingpod - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoriesofeverything_ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything  

Does Consciousness Matter?  A conversation w/philosopher David Chalmers in SoHo for evening filled with conversation, live music, homemade food and our warm NYC Posthoc community.  The salon is supported by a grant Posthoc received from Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF). TWCF funds grants that are accelerating research on consciousness, and David is a fellow grantee of TWCF.

David Chalmers gives a presentation at Mindfest 2024 about exploring the implications of digital and quantum simulations of consciousness, arguing that such simulations could theoretically replicate physical processes and even consciousness. This presentation was recorded at MindFest, held at Florida Atlantic University, CENTER FOR THE FUTURE MIND, spearheaded by Susan Schneider. Please consider signing up for TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org  Support TOE: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch  Follow TOE: - *NEW* Get my 'Top 10 TOEs' PDF + Weekly Personal Updates: https://www.curtjaimungal.org - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoriesofeverythingpod - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoriesofeverything_ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything  

Her film My Octopus Teacher won an academy award -- and her insights on nature, and her love for it, go far beyond the film. Pippa Ehrlich joins Vasant Dhar in episode 77 of Brave New World to talk about her work and what she has learnt from it. Useful resources: 1. Pippa Ehrich on Instagram, X, LinkedIn and IMDb.. 2. My Octopus Teacher -- Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. 3. Peter Singer on Animal Liberation -- Episode 74 of Brave New World. 4. Save Our Seas Foundation. 5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- Jules Verne. 6. Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance -- The Huberman Lab Podcast. 7. Wim Hof Method. 8. The Effects of Cold Exposure Training and a Breathing Exercise on the Inflammatory Response in Humans: A Pilot Study -- Jelie Zwaag et al. 9. Dmitry Rinberg on the Mysteries of Smell -- Episode 62 of Brave New World. 10. Anthony Zador on How our Brains Work -- Episode 35 of Brave New World. 11. Deep Rising --  Matthieu Rytz. 12. David Chalmers on the Nature of Reality -- Episode 41 of Brave New World. 13. Sea Change Project. Check out Vasant Dhar's newsletter on Substack. Subscription is free!

In this thought-provoking lecture at MindFest, held at Florida Atlantic State University, philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers explores virtual reality and its implication for our understanding of existence. Chalmers examines the simulation hypothesis, challenging conventional views of reality and suggesting that virtual worlds might be as real and meaningful as the physical world. This insightful talk, bridging technology and philosophy, invites a reevaluation of our perception of reality in a digitally evolving era.   TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Intro01:34 - Overview11:55 - David's Central Thesis15:55 - Biosim vs. Pure Sim18:11 - Imperfect vs. Perfect Simulation26:38 - Are Simulations Illusions?31:29 - It-From-Bit Hypothesis36:06 - What Is The Metaverse?43:58 - Meaning In A Virtual World  51:49 - Q&A01:06:43 - Outro NOTE: The perspectives expressed by guests don't necessarily mirror my own. There's a versicolored arrangement of people on TOE, each harboring distinct viewpoints, as part of my endeavor to understand the perspectives that exist.THANK YOU: To Mike Duffey for your insight, help, and recommendations on this channel.  Support TOE: - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerchFollow TOE: - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoriesofe...- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoriesofeve...- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast...- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9...- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeveryt...Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWI...

What does the future hold for humanity's relationship with technology? Will we become ever more integrated with and dependent on technology? What are the normative and axiological consequences of this? In this episode, Sven and John discuss these questions and reflect, more generally, on technology, ethics and the value of speculation about the future. You can download the episode here or listen below. You can also subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon and a range of other podcasting services. Recommended Reading Mark Coeckelbergh The Political Philosophy of AI David Chalmers Reality+ #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Subscribe to the newsletter

Could you be a brain in a vat, or be living in a simulated or virtual reality? Could you live a meaningful, valuable existence even if you were?

Is the Matrix really real? And if so, which pill would David Chalmers take?  Join us for a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, human consciousness, technology, philosophy, and religion, and find out!  David Chalmers is an Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist specializing in the areas of philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University and co-director of NYU's Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness (along with Ned Block).  Key Takeaways:  Intro (00:00) Judging the book by its cover (01:49) Defining the hard problem of consciousness (04:50) Why is there tension between physics and philosophy (07:20) The Chalmers equation for the simulation hypothesis? (11:57) What have we learned about consciousness from computer analogs? (21:24) AI physicists (32:08) What is it from bit? Or is that bit from it? (40:10) What does it take for the maker of the simulation to be god or godlike? (47:50)  Why create the world (or the simulation)? (53:49) Can there be a substrate-free creator (simulator)? (57:43)  Why do you claim we can't know if we are in a simulation? (1:06:32) Would you take the red pill? (1:08:41)  Outro (1:16:43) — Additional resources: 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqWxxPhZEGY David Chalmers analyzes consciousness in AI, probing cognitive science and philosophical ramifications of sentient machines. TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 Introduction - 00:02:10 Talk by David Chalmers on LLMs - 00:26:00 Panel with Ben Goertzel, Susan Schneider, and Curt Jaimungal NOTE: The perspectives expressed by guests don't necessarily mirror my own. There's a versicolored arrangement of people on TOE, each harboring distinct viewpoints, as part of my endeavor to understand the perspectives that exist. THANK YOU: To Mike Duffy, of https://expandingideas.org and https://dailymystic.org for your insight, help, and recommendations on this channel. - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9... - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeveryt... - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch LINKS MENTIONED: - Podcast w/ Susan Schneider on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQXp... - Reality Plus (David Chalmers): https://amzn.to/473AKPw - Mindfest Playlist on TOE (Ai and Consciousness): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... - Mindfest (official website): https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/ne... - Talk by Ben Goertzel on AGI timelines: https://youtu.be/27zHyw_oHSI - Podcast with Ben Goertzel and Joscha Bach on Theolocution: https://youtu.be/xw7omaQ8SgA - Talk by Claudia Passos, Garrett Mindt, and Carlos Montemayor on Petri Minds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_YMc... - Stephen Wolfram talk on AI, ChatGPT: https://youtu.be/xHPQ_oSsJgg

The New York University Prof and author of many influential books including the new Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy joins Mark and Bill to simulate debates about AI, cybersex, actor vs. character, and keeping children safe from reality. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Take a class this fall from him at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. Sponsor: Visit FactorMeals.com/improv50 (code improv50) to get 50% off America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit.

Sam Harris speaks with philosopher David Chalmers about the nature of consciousness, the challenges of understanding it scientifically, and the prospect that we will one day build it into our machines. David Chalmers is Professor of Philosophy and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at New York University, and also holds a part-time position at the Australian National University. He is well-known for his work in the philosophy of mind, especially for his formulation of the “hard problem” of consciousness. His 1996 book The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory was successful with both popular and academic audiences. Chalmers co-founded the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness and has organized some of the most important conferences in the field. He also works on many other issues in philosophy and cognitive science, and has articles on the possibility of a “singularity” in artificial intelligence and on philosophical issues arising from the movie The Matrix.   Episodes that have been re-released as part of the Best of Making Sense series may have been edited for relevance since their original airing.  

More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/are-we-living-simulation. With rapid advances in Virtual Reality technology and the like, it's now possible for us to become absorbed in completely made-up worlds. We might wonder how soon it will be till we reach a point where VR is so good, we can't tell it apart from the real world. But what if we've already reached that point? How would we know if we were currently living in a simulated reality, or are there always telltale signs? And if we were in a simulation, what difference would it make—pragmatically or morally—in how we live our lives and treat other people? Josh and Ray don't fake it with David Chalmers from NYU, author of "Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy."

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Thomas Metzinger is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. He is the author of The Ego Tunnel and Being No One (MIT Press), the coeditor of Open MIND, and the editor of Neural Correlates of Consciousness (both MIT Press). His research focus lies in analytical philosophy of mind and cognitive science, as well as in connections between ethics, philosophy of mind and anthropology. He is the recipient of several awards and Fellowships, including a Fellowship by the Gutenberg Research College and a Research Professorship from the German Ministry of Science, Education and Culture. He was the Director of the Neuroethics Research Unit in Mainz and Director of the MIND Group at the FIAS. He is past president of the German Cognitive Science Society and of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness. He was a key member of the EU's High-level Expert Group on artificial intelligence. A life-long meditator himself, Metzinger contributes widely to the scientific and philosophical understanding of contemplative practices. He is the founder and director of the MPE-project, a network of more serious researchers investigating the experience of pure awareness in meditation. EPISODE LINKS: - Thomas' Website: https://www.grc.uni-mainz.de/prof-thomas-metzinger/ - Thomas' Books: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Thomas-Metzinger/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AThomas+Metzinger - Thomas' Publications: https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=x_CsYPMAAAAJ&hl=en - Thomas' Forthcoming Book "The Elephant and the Blind": https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547109/the-elephant-and-the-blind/ CONNECT: - Website: https://tevinnaidu.com - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu - Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) - Introduction (0:33) - What is Consciousness? (6:30) - What is the Self? (10:12) - The Mind-Body Problem (24:56) - Christof Koch & David Chalmers - "the infamous bet" (27:34) - New Approaches to Consciousness (Karl Friston, Computational Modeling etc.) (34:11) - Philosophy of Psychiatry & Philosophy's Implications on Mental Health (44:48) - Daniel Dennett & Illusionism (49:17) - Epistemic Agent Model, Introspection & Mind Wandering (1:04:36) - More on Illusionism (1:14:13) - Panpsychism & Existence Bias (1:24:52) - Bewusstseinskultur, Negative Egalitarianism & Practical Ethics (1:41:39) - "The Elephant and the Blind" (forthcoming book) (1:50:04) - Differences & Similarities to Mark Solms' "The Hidden Spring" (1:55:58) - Thomas' Philosophers/Scientists recommendations (2:00:06) - A better Culture of Consciousness (2:05:07) - Applied Ethics (2:11:50) - Religious World-views & the Naturalist Turn (2:14:35) - Conclusion

What does symmetry and self-similarity between life and intelligence mean for the nature of reality? How are neurones like genes?  Today we have the extraordinary Fractal Brain Theory to discuss. After episode #38 about the World as a Neural Network, with Russian physicist and computer scientist Vitaly Vanchurin, i've become more open to a unified theory of universe that reconciles quantum mechanics with general relativity, as Vanchurin's equations seem to offer. So when I was recommended today's guest's Fractal Brain Theory by one of the wonderful listeners, I was curious if a little sceptical given all the psychedelic hype about fractal geometry. So a symmetrical theory of repeating self-similar, self-modifying behaviour in the universe is not so far from the vision of the universe as a thriving, adaptable neural network. And according to today's guest the symmetry directly connects the often divorced worlds of neurones, brains and intelligence with the world of genes, evolution and life.  He is multi-disciplinary researcher, computer scientist, musician and author Wai H Tsang. A self-taught thinker in the world of neurology, evolutionary biology, consciousness and philosophy of mind, Tsang is in the unique position of combining these traditions into a single theory of brain, that promises to solve even the hard problem of consciousness. Trained in computer science at Imperial college, he wrote the first version of his Fractal Brain Theory in 2016, in his book of the same name, and it was picked up by quantum consciousness theorist Stuart Hameroff, who invited him to the Science of Consciousness Conference, alongside heavy weights in the field like David Chalmers, Roger Penrose, Sue Blackmore,  Donald Hoffman - many who've been on this show already. This recognition catapulted his theory into the field, so it's with great pleasure that I include it on the show for us to compare alongside the theories of many of the giants. What we discuss: 00:00 Intro 07:10 Symmetry explained: Variance and non-variance; change and resistance to change 11:00 Genomes work like tiny fractal brains 12:30 The symmetry between intelligence and life, neurones and genes 13:00 Junk DNA, neurones and boolean algebra 17:45 Dendritic structure, processing and artificial intelligence 19:00 Self-similarity and recursively nested symmetry 21:30 Evolution and ontogenesis algorithm: differentiate, select, amplify  22:15 Fractal Mathematics and Benoit Mandelbrot: Approximate self-similarity 25:45 Binary trees generating life and intelligence 29:00 Mitosis and progenator fields 30:00 Allocentric and egocentric mapping (Nobel prize) 34:40 Goodwin and cell division VS epigenetic mutation/adaptation 36:00 Recursive modification IS intelligence; evolving evolvability 40:15 A new calculus: analytic geometry  47:00 The soft and hard problem of consciousness  51:00 Time symmetric quantum mechanics and problems with causal chains  58:00 David Chalmers: Identity cosmo-psychism critique 01:11:00 Is self-reflective conscious Ai possible? 01:19:30 Penrose: Quantum mechanics is incomplete until we understand the collapse of the wave function 01:21:00 The ethical debate about the future of Ai References: ‘The Fractal Brain Theory' Wai Tsang Wai Tsang You Tube Channel  Boolean Algebra David Chalmers, “Idealism and the mind body problem” paper

The two hottest topics in tech right now are the rise of generative AI and, with Apple's recent push into spatial computing, the mainstreaming of augmented reality. Will silicon-based machines develop sentience? Will human experience extend into virtual worlds? These distinct technologies may eventually blend to spawn a surprising future, as our “real” world becomes digitally enhanced and our machines behave increasingly like humans. Today, a provocative discussion with some big (human) thinkers: Steven Johnson, visiting scholar at Google Labs and author of ”Extra Life,” “Where Good Ideas Come from,” and “How We Got to Now”; philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers, author of ”The Conscious Mind” and “Reality+;” and Betaworks founder and AI investor John Borthwick. • Want to learn more about our executive membership? Email podcast@nextbigideaclub.com • “David Chalmers Thinks We May Be Living in a Simulation (and He's OK With It)” • “Steven Johnson & Michael Specter on the Future of Life”

Twenty-five years ago in a German bar, neuroscientist Christof Koch bet philosopher David Chalmers that we'd understand the neural basis for consciousness by 2023. Last month, the winner of the bet received a case of wine. Ian Sample talks to Christof and David about why they made the bet, who won, and where we are now in our understanding of this most fundamental aspect of existence.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Read the full transcript here. What does philosophy have to say about virtual reality (VR)? Under what conditions is "normal" reality preferable to VR? To what extent are VR experiences "real"? How likely is it that we're living in a simulation? What implications would the discovery that we're living in a simulation have for our beliefs about reality? How common is Bayesian thinking among philosophers? How should we think about identity over time if selves can be split or duplicated? What might it look like for our conception of identity to undergo a "fall from Eden"? What do people mean when they say that consciousness is an illusion? Finding a grand unified theory of physics seems at least in principle the sort of thing that science can do, even if we haven't done it yet; but can science even in principle solve the hard problem of consciousness? Might consciousness just be a fundamental law of the universe, an axiom which we must accept but for which there might be no explanation? Is consciousness needed in order to attain certain levels of biological evolution? How conscious (or not) are our current AI models? Statistically speaking, what are the most prevalent views held by philosophers?David Chalmers is University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at New York University. He is the author of The Conscious Mind (1996) and Reality+ (2022). He is known for formulating the "hard problem" of consciousness, which inspired Tom Stoppard's play The Hard Problem, and for the idea of the "extended mind," which says that the tools we use can become parts of our minds. Learn more about him at consc.net. [Read more]

Dr. Peter Attia, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Outlive," is back to share cutting-edge tips for improving your sleep, nutrition, and emotional health. (If you missed the first part of our interview with Peter, you can listen to it here.) P.S. • Pickup a copy of "Immortality: A User's Guide" by Steven Johnson at nextbigideaclub.supportingcast.fm • Check out our interviews with Tim Spector and Russell Foster • We're hosting a live taping of the show on June 28th in New York City, featuring Rufus in conversation with Steven Johnson, David Chalmers, and John Borthwick. You can learn more and buy tickets at betaworks.com/event/ai-consciousness

Throughout the year, AI development has taken significant strides. We are living in a society that is becoming increasingly reliant on digital technology, which soon could be flooded with computer-generated content. As technology advances, it will become harder to distinguish between the virtual and the real, eventually almost impossible. Is this a cause for concern? In part one of this partnership with the Swedish publishing house and ideas forum Fri Tanke we hear from keynote speaker David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy at New York University. We'd love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be.  This event took place in May 2023 in Stockholm. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  And if you'd like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency .  Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Attia had a problem. It was 2006. He'd recently graduated from Stanford's medical school and was completing a prestigious surgical residency at Johns Hopkins, but instead of celebrating his success, he was tormented by frustrations. The medical establishment, it seemed to him, was stubbornly resistant to change and innovation; doctors could easily diagnose the maladies that kill most of us — heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and type 2 diabetes — but they struggled to help their patients avoid those diagnoses in the first place. Peter believed there had to be another approach. He was convinced it was possible to practice a cutting-edge form of medicine that didn't just manage diseases but tried to prevent them. So he embarked on a journey to figure out how to do it. Now, nearly two decades later, he's compiled everything he learned on that journey in a book, the #1 New York Times bestseller "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity." It's a comprehensive guide to exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mental health that'll help you live better for longer. Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medicine and host of "The Drive." (This is part one of a two-part episode. Check back next Thursday for the second installment.) P.S. We're hosting a live event in New York City on June 28th! Rufus will take the stage with Steven Johnson, David Chalmers, and John Borthwick to discuss the rise of generative AI and the mainstreaming of augmented reality. Learn more at betaworks.com/event/ai-consciousness

Does God exist? If we live in a computer simulation, is our simulator our God? Philosopher David Chalmers thinks yes and yes. He argues that we may in fact live in a computer simulation and that's one of the best arguments for the existence of God. But the god of the simulation wouldn't be a full blown cosmic God like the Abrahamic God. So Chalmers argues that he can unite theism and atheism, naturalism and creationism, through the simulation hypothesis (or simulation theory). Read the full paper on my substack here: https://open.substack.com/pub/parknotes/p/cosmic-god-or-computer-programmer?r=1n883j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web If you like this video, consider supporting me on Patreon. Help me prioritize research on these types of videos, as well as my podcast: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parkers_pensees If you want to give a one-time gift, you can give at my Paypal: https://paypal.me/ParkersPensees?locale.x=en_US Check out my merchandise at my Teespring store: https://teespring.com/stores/parkers-penses-merch Come talk with the Pensées community on Discord: dsc.gg/parkerspensees Sub to my Substack to read my thoughts on my episodes: https://parknotes.substack.com/ Check out my blog posts: https://parkersettecase.com/ Check out my Parker's Pensées YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYbTRurpFP5q4TpDD_P2JDA Check out my other YouTube channel on my frogs and turtles: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParkerSettecase Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trendsettercase Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkers_pensees/

What is consciousness? How do physical processes in the brain give rise to the self-aware mind and to feelings as profoundly varied as love or hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual yearning? These questions today are some of the most hotly debated issues among scientists and philosophers. Now, in his book “The Conscious Mind”, philosopher David Chalmers offers an analysis of this heated debate as he unveils a major new theory of consciousness, one that rejects the prevailing reductionist trend of science, while offering provocative insights into the relationship between mind and brain. Taking us on a tour through the philosophical ramifications of consciousness, Chalmers reveals how contemporary cognitive science and neurobiology have failed to explain how and why mental events emerge from physiological occurrences in the brain. He proposes instead that conscious experience must be understood in an entirely new light--as an irreducible entity that exists at a fundamental level and cannot be understood as the sum of its parts. And after suggesting some intriguing possibilities about the structure and laws of conscious experience, he details how his unique reinterpretation of the mind could be the focus of a new science. Originally published in April of 2019. Visit http://g.co/TalksAtGoogle/Consciousness to watch the video.

What do we know — and what don't we know — about how the human mind works? Sean Illing talks with Paul Bloom, professor of psychology and author of the new book Psych: The Story of the Human Mind. In this conversation, Sean and Paul talk about some of the most interesting and confounding questions in psychology. They discuss the problematic theories of some giants in the history of the field, the way that AI might change psychology, and whether or not the discipline is any closer to understanding the nature of mental illness. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area Guest: Paul Bloom (@paulbloomatyale), Professor of Psychology, University of Toronto; Professor Emeritus, Yale University; author References:  Psych: The Story of the Human Mind by Paul Bloom (Ecco; 2023) The Replication Crisis (Psychology Today) Freud's "primal scene" is taken from his "From the History of an Infantile Neurosis" (a.k.a. the "Wolf Man" case) (1918) The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature by Geoffrey Miller (Anchor; 2001) Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky (MIT Press; 1965) On Geoffrey Hinton: "'The Godfather of A.I.' Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead" by Cade Metz (New York Times; May 1) "The looming threat of AI to Hollywood, and why it should matter to you" by Alissa Wilkinson (Vox; May 2) "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" by David Chalmers (1995) A.I. Artificial Intelligence, dir. by Steven Spielberg (2001) "Development of the default-mode network during childhood and adolescence" by F. Fan et al. (Neuroimage; Feb. 2021) The Infant Cognition Center at Yale The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by:  Producer: Erikk Geannikis Engineers: Patrick Boyd & Brandon McFarland Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will AI change what it means to be human? Sean Illing talks with essayist Meghan O'Gieblyn, author of God, Human, Animal, Machine, a book about how the way we understand human nature has been interwoven with how we understand our own technology. They discuss the power of metaphor in describing fundamental aspects of being human, the "transhumanism" movement, and what we're after when we seek companionship in a chatbot. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area Guest: Meghan O'Gieblyn, essayist; author References:  God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning by Meghan O'Gieblyn (Anchor; 2021) The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil (Penguin; 1999) The Sociology of Religion by Max Weber (1920) "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" by David Chalmers (1995) The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes (1976) "Routine Maintenance" by Meghan O'Gieblyn (Harper's; Jan. 2022) "Babel" by Meghan O'Gieblyn (n+1; Summer 2021) The Society of Mind by Marvin Minsky (Simon & Schuster; 1986) Job (Old Testament), 38:1 – 42:6 "The Google engineer who thinks the company's AI has come to life" by Nitasha Tiku (Washington Post; June 11, 2022) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1880) "Will AI Achieve Consciousness? Wrong Question" by Daniel Dennett (WIRED; Feb. 19, 2019) Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by:  Producer: Erikk Geannikis Engineer: Patrick Boyd Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why don't more philosophers take psychedelic drugs seriously as a means of examining reality? Sean Illing talks with Justin Smith-Ruiu, professor of philosophy, whose recent essay "This Is a Philosopher on Drugs" tells of how experimenting with psilocybin and other substances led to a radical reevaluation of nearly everything in his life — including his views on the nature of reality. They discuss the roots of an alternative worldview in the thought of German polymath G.W. Leibniz, what it means to say — as Socrates does — that philosophy is "preparation for death," and why psychedelics aren't more often explored in contemporary philosophy. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area Guest: Justin Smith-Ruiu, philosopher; author References:  "This Is a Philosopher on Drugs" by Justin E.H. Smith (Wired; Mar. 7) Justin Smith-Ruiu's Hinternet (Substack) The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is by Justin E.H. Smith (Princeton; 2022) "The brutal mirror: What the psychedelic drug ayahuasca showed me about my life" by Sean Illing (Vox; Nov. 2, 2019) G.W. Leibniz, "The Monadology" (1714) René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason by Justin E.H. Smith (Princeton; 2019) Plato, Phaedo (for Socrates's claim that philosophy is preparation for death) Reality+ by David Chalmers (W.W. Norton; 2022) David Chalmers on The Gray Area (Jan. 10, 2022) Justin's review of David Chalmers: "The World as a Game" (Liberties, vol. 2 no. 4) "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy (1886) How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (Penguin; 2018) Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by:  Producer: Erikk Geannikis Engineer: Patrick Boyd Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can consciousness be explained by physics, or does it appeal to something beyond materialism? Philosopher guest star David Chalmers talks to us about how we can think about consciousness from a philosophical and scientific perspective.To support our show and get ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseSupport the show

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/xHPQ_oSsJgg Center for the Future Mind (https://www.fau.edu/future-mind/) presents this Wolfram lecture from Mindfest 2023. This episode has been released early in an ad-free audio version for TOE members at http://theoriesofeverything.org. Sponsors: - Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/TOE for 20% off - *New* TOE Website (early access to episodes): https://theoriesofeverything.org/ - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything LINKS MENTIONED: - Center for the Future Mind: https://www.fau.edu/future-mind/ - Donald Hoffman, Bernardo Kastrup, Susan Schneider debate on Machines and Consciousness: https://youtu.be/VmQXpKyUh4g - Stephen Wolfram on Wolfram Physics Project on TOE: https://youtu.be/1sXrRc3Bhrs TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:58 Physics from computation 00:11:30 Generalizing Turing machines 00:17:34 Dark matter as Indicating "atoms of space" 00:22:13 Energy as density of space itself 00:30:30 Entanglement limit of all possible computations 00:34:53 What persists across the universe are "concepts" 00:40:09 How does ChatGPT work? 00:41:41 Irreducible computation, ChatGPT, and AI 00:49:20 Recovering general relativity from the ruliad (Wolfram Physics Project) 00:58:38 Coming up: David Chalmers, Ben Goertzel, and more Wolfram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, Rufus sat down with philosopher David Chalmers to talk about the allure of virtual reality, whether robots will ever achieve consciousness, and the likelihood that we're living in a simulation (David thinks it's about 25 percent). It was a fascinating, freewheeling conversation, and we left large chunks of it on the cutting room floor. Now, though, with ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms taking the world by storm, those unaired sections, many of which were about the ethics of artificial intelligence, feel super relevant. So today, we're sharing our complete interview with David. Buckle up. It's a wild ride.

Patricia Churchland is UC President's Professor of Philosophy Emerita at the University of California, San Diego. She is among the most well-known and impactful figures working in the philosophy of mind, and a prominent early neurophilosopher who advocated the importance of neuroscience in the philosophy of mind. Pat and Robinson discuss three broad topics: neurophilosophy and ethics—particularly with reference to two of her recent books, Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality and Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition—what neuroscience has to say about the problem of free will, and the neurophilosophical approach to consciousness. You can keep up with Pat's work at patriciachurchland.com, as well as on Twitter, @patchurchland. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robinsonerhardt Outline: 00:00 In This Episode 00:36 Introduction 3:07 A Family of Neuroscientists 12:27 What Is Neurophilosophy? 15:44 Neuroscience and Morality 22:13 Evolution and Morality 33:00 Mirror Neurons and Imitation 38:56 Neuroscience and Metaethics 47:58 Neurophilosophy, Free Will, & The Self 1:05:24 Neuroscience & David Chalmers' Hard Problem of Consciousness --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/robinson-erhardt/support

Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you'll find this series fascinating. In this episode, we survey the landscape of consciousness and get acquainted with the mystery of the mind. We start with an attempt to define consciousness–and veterans of conversations on consciousness will know that this is a huge part of the challenge.  David Chalmers begins with his conception of what he coined “The Hard Problem of Consciousness” and a famous question offered by the philosopher Thomas Nagel.  We then construct a “Philosophical Zombie” before the philosopher Thomas Metzinger explains why he is thoroughly unimpressed by the ability to imagine “such a thing,” while he simultaneously warns us against ever attempting to build one. Anil Seth brings some hope of whittling away the intuition gap of the hard problem by pursuing the “easy” problems, with clear scientific reasoning. Later, Iain McGilchrist lays out the intuition-shattering implications of the famous Roger Sperry experiments with split brain patients that suggest that consciousness can be cut with a knife… at least temporarily. Annaka Harris then shifts the conversation to the realm of panpsychism, which suggests that consciousness is nomologically fundamental and potentially permeates all matter.  Finally, Don Hoffman explains that consciousness is not only fundamental and non-illusory, but that the physical world we appear to be navigating is merely a virtual space-time interface, which has evolved to hide the true nature of reality from us.

In June, a Google employee who claimed the company had created a sentient artificial intelligence bot was placed on administrative leave. Blake Lemoine, part of Google's Responsible AI (“artificial intelligence”) program, had been interacting with a language AI known as “Language Model for Dialogue Applications,” or LaMDA. When the algorithm began talking about rights and personhood, Lemoine decided his superiors and eventually the public needed to know. To him, it was clear the program had become “sentient,” with the ability to feel, think, and experience life like a human.   Google denied the claim (which is exactly what they would do, isn't it?). “There was no evidence that LaMDA was sentient (and lots of evidence against it),”  said a spokesperson.  The Atlantic's Stephen Marche agreed: “The fact that LaMDA in particular has been the center of attention is, frankly, a little quaint…. Convincing chatbots are far from groundbreaking tech at this point.”   True, but they are the plot of a thousand science fiction novels. So, the question remains, is a truly “sentient” AI even possible? How could code develop the capacity for feelings, experiences, or intentionality? Even if our best algorithms can one day perfectly mirror the behavior of people, would they be conscious?   How one answers such questions depends on one's anthropology. What are people? Are we merely “computers made of flesh?” Or is there something more to us than the sum of our parts, a true ghost in the machine? A true ghost in the shell?   These kinds of questions about humans and the things that humans make reflect what philosopher David Chalmers has called “the hard problem of consciousness.” In every age, even if strictly material evidence for the soul remains elusive, people have sensed that personhood, willpower, and first-person subjective experiences mean something. Christians are among those who believe that we are more than the “stuff” of our bodies, though Christians, unlike others, would be quick to add, but not less. There is something to us and the world that goes beyond the physical because there is a non-material, eternal God behind it all.  Christians also hold that there are qualitative differences between people and algorithms, between life and non-living things like rocks and stars, between image bearers and other living creatures. Though much about sentience and consciousness remains a mystery, personhood rests on the solid metaphysical ground of a personal and powerful Creator.  Materialists have a much harder problem declaring such distinctions. By denying the existence of anything other than the physical “stuff” of the universe, they don't merely erase the substance of certain aspects of the human experience such as good, evil, purpose, and free will: There's no real grounding for thinking of a “person” as unique, different, or valuable.   According to philosopher Thomas Metzinger, for example, in a conversation with Sam Harris, none of us “ever was or had a self.” Take brain surgery, Metzinger says. You peel back the skull and realize that there is only tissue, tissue made of the exact same components as everything else in the universe. Thus, he concludes, the concept of an individual “person” is meaningless, a purely linguistic construct designed to make sense of phenomena that aren't there.   That kind of straightforward claim, though shocking to most people, is consistent within a purely materialist worldview. What quickly becomes inconsistent are claims of ethical norms or proper authority in a world without “persons.” In a world without a why or an ought, there's only is, which tends to be the prerogative of the powerful, a fact that Harris and Metzinger candidly acknowledge.   In a materialist world, any computational program could potentially become “sentient” simply by sufficiently mirroring (and even surpassing) human neurology. After all, in this worldview, there's no qualitative difference between people and robots, only degrees of complexity. This line of thinking, however, quickly collapses into dissonance. Are we really prepared to look at the ones and zeros of our computer programs the same way we look at a newborn baby? Are we prepared to extend human rights and privileges to our machines and programs?  In Marvel's 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron, lightning from Thor's hammer hits a synthetic body programmed with an AI algorithm. A new hero, Vision, comes to life and helps save the day. It's one of the more entertaining movie scenes to wrestle with questions of life and consciousness.  Even in the Marvel universe, no one would believe that a mere AI algorithm, even one designed by Tony Stark, could be sentient, no matter how sophisticated it was. In order to get to consciousness, there needed to be a “secret sauce,” in this case lightning from a Nordic hammer or power from an Infinity Stone. In the same way, as stunning as advances in artificial intelligence are, a consciousness that is truly human requires a spark of the Divine.  

Check out our sponsors: TextExpander: Go to textexpander.com/podcast and get 20% off your first year“I think, therefore I am.” - René DescartesWhat is reality? What is the nature of consciousness? How do we know that what we are experiencing is base reality and not a simulation?These may seem like the kind of questions that you'd associate with modern concepts like The Matrix and simulation theory, but the fact is that every ancient philosophical tradition has wrestled with these problems in some form or another.And with the advent of rich, complex VR worlds and the nascent metaverse, even more philosophers are turning toward these deep questions of consciousness and the human experience.One of the most interesting thinkers in this space is David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University, and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness.In his latest book, Reality+: virtual worlds and the problems of philosophy, David investigates not only the nature of reality, but how we should conceptualize virtual reality, the idea that we can actually live a meaningful life in VR, how we know there's an external world, and much more.We explore these topics and more in today's wide-ranging conversation, covering everything from the hard problem of consciousness to the probability that we're actually living in a computer simulation.You don't have to be a student of philosophy to enjoy today's conversation - especially if you're as excited as I am about the possibilities being unlocked by virtual reality and the metaverse.And if you want to dive deeper into David's work, you can order his new book, Reality+, by clicking here: https://amzn.to/3vMSS0v SHOW NOTES:00:00 | Introduction01:41 | The Hard Problem of Consciousness10:42 | Consciousness as a Fundamental Law of Nature17:38 | The Foundations of Simulation Theory27:33 | Is Reality Made of Information?39:03 | How to Live a Meaningful Virtual Life45:10 | The Philosopher's Zombie51:59 | Orderable States of Consciousness58:23 | Zhuangzi and the Butterfly1:05:20 | The Experience Machine1:14:40 | GPT3 and Deepfakes1:19:08 | The Future of “Technophilosophy”QUOTES:“How does the water of neural firings in the brain turn into the wine of consciousness?” [05:45]“My view is what we have to do for consciousness is something akin to what Maxwell did for charge - treat consciousness as a fundamental property in nature and search for the fundamental laws that govern it.” [09:09]“One of the basic questions in philosophy: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is there anything in the universe? And it just looks like some things you have to take as fundamental properties and fundamental laws. And that's not wholly satisfying, but it kind of looks like it's the best we can do.” [32:39]“I think the more we understand the connection between the brain and consciousness, the more capacities we're going to find for both manipulation and transformation of consciousness.” [51:48]“I do want to think you can have… a meaningful life in VR, because what happens in VR is real - it's not scripted. It's not pre programmed. You can actually build your own life in VR.” [1:08:23]“I think at a certain point, the avatar can begin to play… many of the roles of the physical body. It's as if you have two bodies, a physical body in the physical world, and a digital body in the digital world.” [1:24:02]Follow David Chalmers:Website: http://consc.net Order a copy of David's new book, Technology+: https://amzn.to/3vMSS0v