Is Reality Really Real? With Donald Hoffman

About This Episode

Did evolution never give us the ability to see reality as it actually is? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly sit down with cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman to explore what neuroscience, evolutionary game theory, and consciousness suggest about the nature of reality itself.

Is evolution the correct tool for tuning our senses to reality? Are our perceptions less like a window and more like a VR headset? We discuss the priorities of our perceptions and how it may not always be truth. We explore how psychedelics impact our perception of reality. Could hallucinogens show us a layer of reality we don’t otherwise see? Does the mind render things only when perceived, the way a video game only generates what’s on screen? The team explores if we are in a simulation and how Donald doesn’t think spacetime itself is fundamental.

Can consciousness be modeled? Donald breaks down how we have struggled to define consciousness and provide a theory for the observer. What is an observer, really? Chuck’s ayahuasca encounters with higher-dimensional beings become surprisingly relevant, as we explore how to test for consistencies across individuals’ trips.  Could information passed to one user be received by another in a separate session? Doubtful, says Hoffman, but testable. We explore the Matrix, both the movie and the mathematical, discussing how you could use math to understand the role of the observer. The episode closes on science, God, and Gödel. Does some of this verge on the spiritual? Have theologians approached Hoffman, hoping he’s providing scientific grounding for a god?

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