Bernardo Kastrup: With Reality in Mind with guest Michael Levin

“The breadth of Bernardo's insight and understanding into the nature of reality and all kinds of related subjects is utterly breathtaking. Thank you Bernardo and Amir for a wonderful, inspiring, transformative four weeks.” ★★★★★  - Karen
 

Bernardo Kastrup is undoubtedly the world's most articulate, rigorous and increasingly well-known defender of metaphysical idealism - the notion that all reality is consciousness. This is a chance to immerse in this perspective together with Bernardo and guests, deepening an understanding of the ramifications of this incredible philosophy.

We're equally excited to have Michael Levin joining for one of the sessions to explore how his incredible research on the collective intelligence and organisation of life might shed light on how consciousness is organised. 

On joining the group, you will be sent video recordings of introductory material, and there will be an initial orientation meeting on the 5th of Nov. We will gather live on zoom with Bernardo for the following four Sundays. The conversation develops based on our evolving curiosity and understanding. 

Please note that you will need a certain level of familiarity with the model to get the most out of the course which means making the most out of the introductory videos and some other recommended viewing or reading. If you're new to idealism or non-duality, its best to sign up early and do some self-study in advance. We recommend at least 10 hours engaged in this material by week two. If you have any questions or concerns about this please email in advance.

Although the discussion evolves based on the group, based on previous iterations these are typical themes:

Week 0: Introduction to the Group and Course Orientation

We gather for the first week without Bernardo to meet the other course members, review our existing understanding of the material, formulate our questions and cater the rest of the course to the predominate interests of those gathered. 

Week 1: Bernardo Kastrup & Michael Levin in Conversation 

We're excited to welcome renowned developmental and synthetic biologist Michael Levin, who brings amazing research that sheds new light on collective intelligence and the boundaries of self-other.

Before attending this week we recommend watching some of Michaels existing presentations on youtube, as well as Bernardo's existing conversation with Michael here: 
 

Refuting Materialism & The Compelling Case for Idealism

Week 1 we also tend to discuss the philosophical, logical and scientific evidence that refutes materialism as a good explanation for what we know about reality. Materialism is the belief that nothing exists except matter, its movements and modifications. In this worldview, consciousness is sometimes thought of as an emergent property of specific arrangements of inert matter. We will cover the many reasons why this artificially creates the ‘Hard Problem of Consciousness and the reasons why idealism is a far more parsimonious explanation. 

We will cover the rational and empirical evidence for idealism, drawing on neuroscience, physics, philosophy and basic common sense. We will delve into Bernardo's unique way of expressing the idea that all life forms are like whirlpools of individualised consciousness inside one vast oceanic universal consciousness. 

Week 2: The Meaning of Life

This week we will consider how apart from being logically coherent and consistent with science, this philosophy can impart deep meaning and joy to how we live our day to day lives. We discuss the link with the philosophies of Carl Jung, Schopenhauer and other wester idealists. 

As it becomes easier to consider Idealism as a reasonable way of understanding reality, it becomes exciting to ponder the implications and ramifications of this worldview. 

• What does this mean for our personal relationships, our dreams and our place in the natural world?
• How might we now understand death, trauma, health, sickness and suffering?
• What are the implications of psychedelic, out-of-body, mystical and near-death experiences?

Week 3: Idealism in the Western Mind 

Discussing the importance of moving past a literal understanding of reality, to instead engaging with myth, fairy-tale and legend as a bridge to more personal and meaningful relationship with the ground of reality.

Week 4: Ego, Self, Non-Duality & Enlightenment 

Many are quick to point out the similarities between Bernardo's worldview and ancient nondual perspectives such as the Advaita Vedanta. In week five, we discuss the similarities and differences between such spiritual traditions and western metaphysical idealism, as well as how one might come to an experiential realisation of the theories discussed.  

You can see excerpts from a previous discussion which included Rupert Spira here.
 

"Bernardo has this very rare ability of combining philosophy, science and spirituality in a holistic perspective, and communicating his vision is a clear and inspiring way that also laypersons understand. Very much looking forward to the next edition of this course!" 
★★★★★ - Frank Dierick

Dates and Times

You will be sent recordings to watch in your own time before the live events to familiarise yourself with the basic concepts.
We gather on zoom over five Sunday evenings in a row, at 6pm UK time, starting Sun April 30th 2023

Sessions run for at least 2 hours, sometimes significantly longer. Recordings of each session are set to all participants except for parts of the fourth session to allow Bernardo to speak ‘off the record’ to include views that are not shared publicly. 

Sun 5th Nov, 6pm UK time (Orientation week to meet the group and revise pre-recorded material)
Sun 12th Nov, 6pm Uk time - Live session with Bernardo Kastrup and Michael Levin
Sun 19th Nov, 6pm UK time - Live session with Bernardo
Sun 26th Nov, 6pm UK time - Live session with Bernardo
Sun 3rd Dec, 6pm UK time - Live session with Bernardo

If money is a barrier to attendance, please get in touch. No one is turned away for lack of funds. 

“Phenomenal talk. Bernardo is truly a great philosopher... truly inspiring and life-changing. So thank you to Bernardo, the Psychadelic Society for organising, and to everybody else in attendance, who consistently asked profound questions!”  ★★★★★ - Andre

About Bernardo Kastrup

Photo by Pedro Henrique Casarin

Bernardo Kastrup's work has been leading the modern renaissance of the philosophical position, ‘metaphysical idealism’ that reality is essentially mental, an appearance in ‘mind.’  Bernardo has a Ph.D. in philosophy (ontology, philosophy of mind) and another Ph.D. in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence). As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the 'Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). Formulated in detail in many academic papers and books, his ideas have been featured on Scientific American, the Institute of Art and Ideas, the Blog of the American Philosophical Association and Big Think, among others. Bernardo's most recent book is The Idea of the World: A multi-disciplinary argument for the mental nature of reality. For more information, freely downloadable papers, videos, etc., please visit www.bernardokastrup.com.

About Michael Levin
 

Michael Levin, a Distinguished Professor in the Biology department at Tufts, holds the Vannevar Bush endowed Chair and serves as director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts and the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. Recent honors include the Scientist of Vision award and the Distinguished Scholar Award. His group’s focus is on understanding the biophysical mechanisms that implement decision-making during complex pattern regulation, and harnessing endogenous bioelectric dynamics toward rational control of growth and form.

FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS COURSES 

★★★★★  “Bernardo is a true pioneer and a brilliant thinker (and experiencer). One of my favorite aspects of Bernardo's personality is his humility and his unpretentiousness. Very enjoyable and enriching. Should follow up in 3 mos min.” - Tomas

★★★★★ “Listening to Bernardo makes my whole Being fizz with excitement. Excellent content, thank you so much for hosting this. And Amir is the ideal facilitator - curious, playful, respectful, attentive, and organised.” - Liam

★★★★★  “This was a fascinating 4 weeks on the nature of consciousness. Highly recommended.” Frank I

★★★★★  “It was a wonderful experience. I have learnt a lot through out this course, Bernardo is such a very articulate philosopher and Amir is such a very good coordinator. I am so grateful for having had this experience.” - Nour

★★★★★  "Great course! Very insightful and original. Impressive how Bernardo is able take a holistic/multidisciplinary perspective and is able to translate difficult philosophical and scientific concepts into everyday language. A course definitely worthwhile repeating!" - Frank 

REFUNDS: Please note that we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. We welcome swapping or reselling your tickets with people you know.