In this episode Curt Jaimungal talks with renowned neuroscientist Karl Friston about the Free Energy Principle, its implications for consciousness, and the meta‑hard problem of mind. They explore how the principle relates to physics, biology, AI, religion, and free will.

- 00:00:00 - Introduction
- 00:02:45 - Balancing work and life
- 00:04:33 - Daily routine
- 00:05:55 - Choosing problems
- 00:10:13 - Defining deflationary/self‑evidencing
- 00:14:33 - Equilibrium vs non‑equilibrium
- 00:20:52 - Why called Free Energy Principle?
- 00:27:20 - What is the FEP? (two answers)
- 00:41:15 - Causation, time and FEP
- 00:46:03 - Relativity and FEP
- 00:57:21 - Schrödinger, entropy, gradient flow, life
- 00:59:01 - FEP esoteric reputation
- 01:01:00 - Is FEP a Theory of Everything?
- 01:03:20 - Do atoms have beliefs?
- 01:04:54 - Fields impacted by FEP
- 01:17:47 - Occam's Razor and AI
- 01:25:38 - Newcomb's paradox
- 01:29:05 - FEP as law or compression
- 01:36:50 - Jordan Peterson, order and chaos
- 01:50:51 - Brain structure inference
- 02:07:12 - Hierarchies and modeling
- 02:13:59 - Shared narratives importance
- 02:18:37 - Religion and narratives
- 02:22:43 - Politics 50/50 splits
- 02:25:53 - Free will definition
- 02:28:43 - Self‑fulfilling prophecies
- 02:31:37 - Schizophrenia, Curt, Karl
- 02:45:48 - Existence proof quote
- 02:48:03 - Thinking into non‑existence
- 02:51:33 - Generative model definition
- 02:54:06 - Donald Hoffman's consciousness model
- 02:54:34 - Quantum consciousness & OR
- 02:59:41 - FEP and consciousness
- 03:09:48 - Meta‑Hard Problem of Consciousness
- 03:15:22 - Idealism vs Physicalism
- 03:28:13 - Meaning of life via FEP
- 03:34:23 - Monotheism vs Polytheism and FEP
- 03:38:50 - Do our actions matter?
- 03:47:20 - Final words on schizophrenia

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RESOURCES:

- YouTube link: https://youtu.be/2v7LBABwZKA
- Iain McGilchrist's interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-SgOwc6Pe4
- Donald Hoffman's interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmieNQH7Q4w
- Anil Seth's interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hUEqXhDbVs
- Stuart Hameroff's interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLo0Zwe579g
- Machine Learning Street Talk's interview with Karl Friston (not mentioned but an informative watch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkR24ieh5Ow
- http://betterleftunsaidfilm.com

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