Donald Hoffman

So neurons couldn't create consciousness because they're not even there to do it.

And nor could particles.

By the way, I have all the same knee-jerk emotional reactions that everybody else has to this stuff, even stronger.

So maybe that's why it's good for someone like me to be doing this because my emotions don't believe any of this.

They don't believe it at all.

It's literally only the mathematics pushing me, kicking and screaming at each step.

So you have to go with the mathematics and what the theories are saying.

But I don't find it that intuitive.

Maybe I will at some point, but I don't find it that intuitive.

So, yeah, you could say, you know, we don't need to talk about consciousness.

There's just some dynamical entities outside of space-time.

Why can't consciousness be a part of the simulation?

For all I know, it may be.

So maybe this thing that I called awareness, where this prior to any particular conscious experiences, now there I'm completely in over my head.

I have no idea what to say about that thing.

I literally have nothing intelligent to say.

That's as good an idea as I've ever had, but I don't feel very confident in this area at all.

I mean, the closest we can personally get is the kind of thing I suggested, you know, go into a quiet room, turn off the light, let go of thought, which is not easy, let go of everything and try to just be aware of awareness.

Be aware of being aware and try to sit there with that.

And what you find is it's a profound experience.