The cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman uses evolutionary game theory to show that our perceptions of an independent reality must be illusions.
What do you guy's think of this article? It suggests some pretty far reaching implications. Prof Hoffman suggests that the mainstream of scientific community is not catching up with developments in fundamental physics and in some cases is 300 years behind.
I'm not a scientist, but have a keen interest. I am interested in what some of you think. (as many of your are involved in the field of hard science)
From the article:
"It doesn’t seem like many people in neuroscience or philosophy of mind are thinking about fundamental physics. Do you think that’s been a stumbling block for those trying to understand consciousness?
I think it has been. Not only are they ignoring the progress in fundamental physics, they are often explicit about it. They’ll say openly that quantum physics is not relevant to the aspects of brain function that are causally involved in consciousness. They are certain that it’s got to be classical properties of neural activity, which exist independent of any observers — spiking rates, connection strengths at synapses, perhaps dynamical properties as well. These are all very classical notions under Newtonian physics, where time is absolute and objects exist absolutely. And then [neuroscientists] are mystified as to why they don’t make progress. They don’t avail themselves of the incredible insights and breakthroughs that physics has made. Those insights are out there for us to use, and yet my field says, “We’ll stick with Newton, thank you. We’ll stay 300 years behind in our physics.”
Full link to article: https://www.quantamagazine.org/20160421-the-evolutionary-argument-against-reality/
Shot youtube synopsis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcgbLwn_yYE
What do you guy's think of this article? It suggests some pretty far reaching implications. Prof Hoffman suggests that the mainstream of scientific community is not catching up with developments in fundamental physics and in some cases is 300 years behind.
I'm not a scientist, but have a keen interest. I am interested in what some of you think. (as many of your are involved in the field of hard science)
From the article:
"It doesn’t seem like many people in neuroscience or philosophy of mind are thinking about fundamental physics. Do you think that’s been a stumbling block for those trying to understand consciousness?
I think it has been. Not only are they ignoring the progress in fundamental physics, they are often explicit about it. They’ll say openly that quantum physics is not relevant to the aspects of brain function that are causally involved in consciousness. They are certain that it’s got to be classical properties of neural activity, which exist independent of any observers — spiking rates, connection strengths at synapses, perhaps dynamical properties as well. These are all very classical notions under Newtonian physics, where time is absolute and objects exist absolutely. And then [neuroscientists] are mystified as to why they don’t make progress. They don’t avail themselves of the incredible insights and breakthroughs that physics has made. Those insights are out there for us to use, and yet my field says, “We’ll stick with Newton, thank you. We’ll stay 300 years behind in our physics.”
Full link to article: https://www.quantamagazine.org/20160421-the-evolutionary-argument-against-reality/
Shot youtube synopsis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcgbLwn_yYE
