Bernardo Kastrup has a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and has worked as a scientist in some of the world's foremost research laboratories, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the "Casimir Effect" of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has authored many scientific papers and four philosophy books: Rationalist Spirituality, Dreamed up Reality, Meaning in Absurdity, and Why Materialism Is Baloney. This latter book is a grand synthesis of his metaphysical views. Bernardo has also been an entrepreneur and founder of two high-tech businesses. Today, he holds a managerial position in the high-tech industry. In parallel, he maintains a philosophy blog, an audio/video podcast, and continues to develop his ideas about the nature of reality. Bernardo has lived and worked in four different countries across continents.

Books:

Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Everything

Meaning in Absurdity: What bizarre phenomena can tell us about the nature of reality

Dreamed Up Reality: Diving into the Mind to Uncover the Astonishing Hidden Tale of Nature

Rationalist Spirituality: An exploration of the meaning of life and existence informed by logic and science

More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth And Belief

Website: bernardokastrup.com

Youtube Channel

Blog post written by Bernardo after our interview (and relevant to it).

Important article: The Physicalist Worldview as Neurotic Ego-Defense Mechanism

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 7/12/2014

Second Batgap interview with Bernardo.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction & Background

00:05:18 - The Path of Intellectual Discernment

00:10:39 - Defining Materialism and Consciousness

00:15:35 - Brain Function and Subjective Experience

00:20:22 - The Mistake of Materialists and the Localization of Mind

00:25:21 - Consciousness as the Ultimate Reality

00:30:37 - The Consciousness of a Glass of Water

00:35:26 - The Difference Between Water Flowing and Forming a Whirlpool

00:39:30 - The Glass of Water and Consciousness

00:43:46 - Materiality and Consciousness

00:47:56 - The Danger of Objectifying Consciousness

00:52:03 - The process of splitting off

00:56:06 - The Nature of Consciousness and Self-Recognition

01:00:07 - The Excitation of Mind and Self-Reflection

01:04:14 - The Dreamer and the Dream

01:08:13 - The Localization of Consciousness

01:12:10 - The Whirlpool and the Ripples

01:15:58 - The individuation of consciousness

01:20:18 - The Meaning of Reality and Consciousness

01:24:17 - A Hierarchy of Localization, a Hierarchy of Self-Reflection

01:28:23 - Mind as a Vibrating Membrane

01:32:40 - Existential Experience of Pure Unmanifest Existence

01:36:44 - The Illusion of Reality and the Nature of Mind

01:40:56 - The Truth in Illusions

01:45:04 - The Natural Unfolding Process

01:49:08 - The Battle between Intellect and Intuition

01:53:14 - The Crack in the Armor of the Ego

01:57:19 - Seeking Enlightenment through Different Paths

02:01:29 - Embracing the Unknown Journey

02:05:25 - Spiritual Awakening and Ordinary Perspective

02:09:27 - Harri Alto Returns by Popular Demand