In this episode of Smarter, Not Harder podcast, we are joined by Dr. Donald Hoffman, a cognitive psychologist and popular science author. He is a professor at the University of California — Irvine, and the author of “The Case Against Reality”. He studies consciousness, visual perception, and evolutionary psychology using mathematical models and psychophysical experiments.

Who is Donald Hoffman? 

is an American cognitive psychologist and popular science author. He is a professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and the School of Computer Science.

Hoffman studies consciousness, visual perception and evolutionary psychology using mathematical models and psychophysical experiments. His research subjects include facial attractiveness, the recognition of shape, the perception of motion and color, the evolution of perception, and the mind–body problem.[1][2] He has co-authored two technical books; Observer Mechanics: A Formal Theory of Perception (1989) offers a theory of consciousness and its relationship to physics; Automotive Lighting and Human Vision (2005) applies vision science to vehicle lighting. His book Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See (1998) presents the modern science of visual perception to a broad audience. His 2015 TED Talk, "Do we see reality as it is?" argues that our perceptions have evolved to hide reality from us.

What Did We Discuss with Donald Hoffman? 

00:00:35 - About Dr. Donald Hoffman

00:02:31 - Dr. Hoffman’s COVID-19 Experience

00:06:27 - Dr. Hoffman’s Desire to Study Consciousness and Reality

00:16:56 - Dr. Hoffman’s Parents’ Reaction to His Changed Point of View

00:19:35 - Physicalist Framework (Local Realism), Epiphysicalist (Conscious Realism) Framework

00:20:15 - Physicalist Framework

00:22:07 - Physicalism and Science

00:27: 25 - Implications of Finding Structures Beyond Space-time

00:29:28 - The Amplituhedron

00:40:07 - The Evolution

00:47:19 - Integrated Information Theory and Global Workspace Theory

00:50:58 - Dr. Hoffman’s Proposed Theories

00:56:51 - Consciousness as Defined by Conscious Realism

01:02:30 - Nature of Reality

01:05:24 - How His Theories Interface With Spiritual Teachings

01:11:50 - What Are The Impacts Of Dr. Hoffman’s Theories And His Hospitalization Due To COVID-19

01:15:20 - Impacts of Dr. Hoffman's Theories of Consciousness to Other Belief Systems

01:18:25 - Can Psychedelics Evolve Pointers

01:21:20 - Dr. Hoffman’s Meditation

01:31:07 - More About Dr. Hoffman and His Works

01:31:57 - A Preview of His Upcoming Journal

Find out more about Dr. Donald Hoffman:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/donalddhoffman

Website: http://www.cogsci.uci.edu/~ddhoff/

TEDTalk: “Do We See Reality as It Is?”

Books:

“The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes”

“Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See”

“Observer Mechanics: A Formal Theory of Perception”

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