The Sapient Cosmos: Where Physics, Psychedelics and Shamanism Meet | James Glattfelder, PhD

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Hans Busstra interviews theoretical physicist and complexity scientist James Glattfelder on his new book: “The Sapient Cosmos: What a modern-day synthesis of science and philosophy teaches us about the emergence of information, consciousness, and meaning”, published by Essentia Foundation.

Can a new science bridge the gap between the noumena and the phenomena, the 1st person and the 3rd person perspective? A bit more provocatively: what is the relationship between physics, psychedelic experiences and shamanism? Glattfelder makes a plea for ‘syncretic idealism’: a worldview that synthesises ancient idealist texts and mystical experiences with physics, complexity science and analytic idealism.

Syncretic idealism could lead to a scientific spirituality, a form of empirical mysticism that acknowledges a purposeful universe, wanting to know itself through ever increasing complexity.

Glattfelder’s book can be ordered here:


0:00 Introduction
05:11 When did you encounter the hard problem of consciousness?
06:26 Why aren't physicists more exposed to philosophy?
08:48 The West only got interested in consciousness in 1994!
14:52 Can science bridge the divide between the noumena and the phenomena?
17:42 Physicalism vs Shamanism
19:52 Schopenhauer and psychedelics
29:02 Scientific spirituality is what we need
33:42 How physics and complexity science encounter consciousness
36:14 The problem of emergence
39:19 The game of life: how complexity emerges out of simplicity
44:49 On consciousness being fundamental

47:15 The Model of Syncretic Idealism

51:00 The new paradigm of 1st person physics
53:15 Why James loves solipsism
55:27 James on his psychedelic experiences
59:28 Empirical mysticism
1:04:25 The price of physicalism
1:09:11 James' work in relation to Federico Faggin's theory
1:11:57 Consequences of bad metaphysics
1:13:26 The difference between physics and complexity science
1:20:16 On time in physics
1:23:29 On syncretic idealism
1:26:00 On the magic of 'ontogeny'
1:30:05 Can people experience a mathematical realm through DMT?
1:33:41 On the LSD research from Christopher Bache
1:36:05 Diamond luminosity and the sea of suffering
1:39:58 On the meaning of suffering
1:43:00 How does your work influence your life?

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Conway's game of life:
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