We live in a unique time in history, when humanity’s growing technological power risks destroying our vast potential in the universe. The philosopher Toby Ord calls our unique time, "the Precipice." Today Toby joins me on Waking Cosmos to discuss existential risk, artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the far future of life in the universe. Please Support Waking Cosmos on Patreon~ https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos Toby’s Sites: Main Website~ https://tobyord.com The Precipice~...

In today’s episode of Waking Cosmos I’m joined by the philosopher and consciousness researcher Andrés Gómez Emilsson. He is the director of research at the Qualia Research Institute, and the cofounder and president of the Stanford Transhumanist Association. We discuss Andrés’ views about consciousness, and how it could be a deep and fundamental part of the universe (panpsychism). We explore how shifting our perception of identity to consciousness may profoundly transform our civilization, and...

An update from Adrian at Waking Cosmos. metaRising YouTube channel ~ https://youtu.be/IoFWjSDfCkI My Patreon ~ https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos

For all of science’s impressive advancements, one problem has stubbornly eluded us: Why do we have consciousness? How does inert unconscious matter give rise to the light of conscious experience? Neuroscientist Donald Hoffman has been pondering this question throughout his career. His thinking has gradually led him to a surprising possibility — that consciousness itself is fundamental to reality. Donald’s theory, however, differs from that of the growing number of other scientists and...

Did the universe require the evolution of conscious life? How does our evolving picture of the universe impact human life? Cosmologist Brian Swimme joins Adrian on the Waking Cosmos podcast. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos Watch Brian's Documentary, Journey of the Universe ~ https://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/

For many years psychologist Roger Nelson Ph.D. has explored an extended property of the mind that is unexplained by current science. Results of these experiments seem to suggest that our thoughts and intentions are not encapsulated within our brains or bodies, but extend mysteriously into the world around us, and in scientifically measurable ways. While controversial, a careful but open-minded look at this research strongly suggests the effects are real. In my conversation with Roger, we...

Dean Radin Ph.D. is a scientist who has been exploring mysterious anomalies of consciousness for decades. As chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Dean has conducted many scientific experiments testing the existence of telepathy, precognition, mind-matter interaction, and other anomalies of the mind. It is a field of study which remains controversial, but as we explore in today’s episode of Waking Cosmos, the evidence for some of these “psi phenomena” is overwhelming. Today...

Does the Universe have a Mind? My guest today is the philosopher Philip Goff, who has received attention for his defense of panpsychism, which is the idea that consciousness, —the distinctly subjective aspect of our minds, could be a fundamental element of reality. With growing support for panpsychism in academia, it is a view that Goff believes could do for the philosophy of mind what Darwin’s theory of evolution did for biology. In our conversation today we discuss the reasons for...

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the biologist Rupert Sheldrake, a brilliant and original thinker who has gained significant attention for his controversial theory that there exists an evolving memory behind nature which shapes the development of life, mind, and the entire universe. As we talked about in our conversation, there is a surprising amount of evidence in support of his hypothesis, he calls Morphic Resonance. After following Rupert’s work for many years it was an honor...

Patreon ~ https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos Psychologist David Luke is one of the new generation of psychedelics researchers, based at the University of Greenwich in the UK. One of the things that stands out about David is that while he takes a scientific approach to understanding the potential value of psychedelics, he keeps an open mind to what these experiences bring us into contact with, including what they might reveal about the nature of reality itself. One possibility for David is...

How does the mystery of consciousness connect to the mystery of existence? Happy New Year! I hope the start of 2019 has begun well for you and yours. I use today's episode to share some philosophical thoughts about consciousness, greet some of our new listeners, and welcome the new year. Please forgive this slightly shorter episode; I’m working on several things at once, but wanted to connect with you all, and wish you a Happy New Year. We’ll be back soon for a conversation with psychologist...

My guest today is David Pearce, a well known philosopher and transhumanist, yet his views about consciousness set him apart from other transhumanists you might be familiar with (listen below). David believes that the nature of consciousness goes much deeper than can be explained through classical physics or from within a materialist paradigm. He suspects that consciousness may reflect an intrinsic feature of reality. Whether or not this is the case, David is confident that the unity of...

"There is a limitless horizon of possible mental experiences, pregnant with unimaginable value and significance." Please consider supporting Waking Cosmos on Patreon~ https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos The nature of consciousness is among the most profound mysteries humans have encountered. And yet, whether we think that consciousness reflects a fundamental feature of reality, or a mere illusion, we do know, at least in our case, that brains are involved. We also know that changes made to...

Does Consciousness Collapse the Quantum Wave Function? In today's episode of Waking Cosmos Adrian explores why consciousness-involving interpretations of quantum measurement are here to stay.  Please consider supporting Waking Cosmos through my Patreon. Thank you! https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos Join our discussion about these topics on YouTube here. https://goo.gl/Kfy1op

How do we map the landscape of consciousness? What is the future for mind in the universe? And is consciousness an intrinsic part of reality? Today on Waking Cosmos I'm joined by Mike Johnson from the Qualia Research Institute, where they're working on a theory of consciousness which could have profound implications for society, including the development of what we might call a 21st century mood-ring, through which we begin to telegraph our phenomenology, and explore entirely new landscapes...

The view that consciousness is fundamental to reality is gaining growing support in science and philosophy. This is no longer a "fringe" idea - it is steering the contemporary discourse across fields including neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and philosophy of mind.  Today on Waking Cosmos, Adrian explores this philosophical position, known as "panpsychism", and the cause of its growing popularity. Please support Waking Cosmos on Patreon here~ https://goo.gl/hguWhM Listen on iTunes ~...

Today a surprising amount scientific studies suggest that phenomena that were once described as "magic" could have a basis in reality. In today's episode of Waking Cosmos, I talk to Dean Radin PhD about the evidence of strange phenomena which hint to a deeper understanding of reality You can support Waking Cosmos on Patreon here~ https://goo.gl/hguWhM Pick up Dean’s fantastic new book “Real Magic” here~ https://amzn.to/2Lx3RBF

Today I read from the first chapter of my book Origins of Consciousness. I intend to read a chapter ever couple of episodes until I've read the entire book. Next time on Waking Cosmos I'll be joined by Dr. Dean Radin, about scientific experiments which challenge the materialist view of the mind. please consider supporting me on Patreon here~ https://www.patreon.com/wakingcosmos Origins of Consciousness on Amazon~ http://amzn.to/2lm5HaI

Are psychic phenomena real? In today's episode of Waking Cosmos, Adrian talks to Garret Moddel, a physicist at the university of Colorado who has carried out extensive scientific experiments exploring ESP, also known as “psi” phenomena. Garret has conducted experiments exploring phenomena ranging from telepathy, to precognition, and mind-matter interaction. He even recounts how he and a number of students used remote viewing to successfully predict the stock market.  In addition to the...

Welcome back to Waking Cosmos! In this episode Adrian gives some updates about the podcast and discusses the ongoing influence of the Copernican Revolution. Adrian also explores John Wheeler's participatory model of reality, in which conscious observers play a constitutive role in existence. Please enjoy! Links~ Support us through Patreon: https://goo.gl/hguWhM The Self-Excited Circuit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8FxYwSKIc Adrian's video essay about...

What can intelligence bring about in the universe? Does intelligence play a role in the universe's existence? Does intelligence counter entropy? Adrian Nelson and Matthew Segall explore these and other questions in this episode of the Waking Cosmos podcast. Enjoy!