What is the true structure of reality? In his fourth appearance on Mind-Body Solution, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman returns with the most significant update yet to Conscious Realism: trace logic, decorated permutations, the emergence of spacetime from networks of conscious agents, and the strongest mathematical progress so far toward deriving Minkowski space from consciousness itself. Across nearly three hours, we explore what has changed in Hoffman’s thinking since our last dialogue two years ago: breakthroughs in the trace-order formalism, new clarifications on evolution and perception, deeper implications for identity and suffering, and the surprising philosophical consequences of consciousness being fundamental. This is Hoffman at his most refined - technically rigorous, personally honest, and metaphysically bold.TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) — Intro(03:12) — What has changed in Hoffman’s thinking in the last two years? (07:45) — Why Spacetime Is Doomed: The 2026 Case(12:58) — Conscious Agents: What’s Changed in the New Theory(18:30) — Traces of Consciousness (2026): Don’s Biggest Breakthrough Yet(25:44) — Restricted Channels of Consciousness (RCCs)(32:02) — The Mathematics of Trace Order & Trace Logic(38:55) — Is Reality Built from Relations, Not Things?(45:40) — What the Spacetime Headset Really Is(52:18) — Scattering Amplitudes & the Illusion of Objects(59:50) — Why Evolution Hides the Truth (Updated Evidence)(1:07:14) — Perception as a User Interface, Not a Window on Reality(1:14:32) — Are Particles Just Icons? The Physics Implications(1:22:10) — Causality, Emergence, Time & the √n Structure of Trace Chains(1:29:48) — Can We Test Conscious Realism in the Lab?(1:37:05) — AI, Conscious Agents & Synthetic Phenomena(1:45:22) — Conscious Realism vs Idealism, Physicalism & Competing Frameworks(1:53:44) — The Meaning Question: Why Is There Something It’s Like?(2:02:58) — What This Theory Says About Death & Identity(2:10:00) – Identity, the Avatar, Death, Suffering & the “Infinite Self” (2:30:00) – Meditation & Waking Up from the Headset (2:40:00) – The New Paper Timeline & Call for Collaborators (2:48:00) – Closing reflectionsEPISODE LINKS:- Donald's Website: https://www.cogsci.uci.edu/~ddhoff/- Donald's Books: https://tinyurl.com/5x7bmzbd- Donald's Publications: https://tinyurl.com/bp7btw9a- Donald's Round 1: https://youtu.be/M5Hz1giUUT8- Donald's Round 2: https://youtu.be/Toq9YLl49KM- Donald's Round 3: https://youtu.be/QRa8r5xOaAA- Donald's Lecture 1: https://youtu.be/r_UFm8GbSvU- Donald's Lecture 2: https://youtu.be/YBmzqNIlbcICONNECT:- Website: https://mindbodysolution.org - YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MindBodySolution- Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com=============================Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.

What is consciousness, really - and why have centuries of science and philosophy still not resolved it?

In this episode of Mind-Body Solution, Dr Tevin Naidu is joined by Dr Elly Vintiadis, philosopher at the intersection of mind, cognitive science, psychiatry, and metaphysics. Together, we explore the foundations, limits, and future of theories of consciousness - and why our scientific worldview may need a major conceptual upgrade.This episode is part of a special series in collaboration with the Mind-at-Large Project: a three-year international initiative, spanning conferences, films, and media, investigating consciousness and its role in reality. It seeks to challenge the prevailing materialist paradigm and expand our understanding of mind across scales, from neurons to ecosystems, from individuals to the cosmos itself. A collaboration between philosophers, scientists, and scholars rethinking the nature of consciousness, reality, and beyond. Mind-at-Large Abstract Submission Guidelines: https://ctr4process.org/mind-at-large/submit/TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) — Intro & Welcome(00:30) — Mind-at-Large: A Call for Submissions(03:30) — How Materialism Became Our Default(06:13) — A Brief History of the Mind–Body Debate(11:14) — Why We Have 360 Theories of Consciousness(12:08) — Do We Need a Conceptual Revolution?(16:12) — Clinical Practice & The Limits of Reductionism(17:47) — Why Society Wants “Quick Fix” Psychiatry(18:05) — Is Consciousness Fundamental or Emergent?(20:59) — Beyond the Brain: Embodiment & Electromagnetic Fields(22:49) — Why Theories of Consciousness Actually Matter(23:03) — Mental Disorders: Biological, Social, or Normative?(26:19) — Why Biomarkers in Psychiatry Keep Failing(29:07) — How Substance Metaphysics Misleads Us(34:00) — Phenomenal Variation & Altered States(39:05) — Philosophy’s Job: Synthesizing the Ways of Knowing(41:14) — Introspection vs Experiment: Are Both Valid?(52:30) — Animal Minds, Moral Status & Personhood(1:07:42) — Cautious Pluralism & Open Questions(1:15:22) — ConclusionEPISODE LINKS:- Mind-at-Large Project Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPacM28YkMQCHdQl2_3OvDmHPl6jJRJcz&si=MxhDoX6bJjkEzMXK- Mind-at-Large Project: https://mindatlargeproject.com- Mind-at-Large Abstract Submission Guidelines: https://ctr4process.org/mind-at-large/submit/- Elly's Website: https://ellyvintiadis.com/- Elly's X: https://twitter.com/EllyVintiadis- Elly's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elly-vintiadis-21a78817/- Elly's Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mV7LCQwAAAAJ&hl=enCONNECT:- Website: https://mindbodysolution.org - YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mindbodysolution- Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com=============================Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.

What is consciousness actually doing?In this episode of Mind-Body Solution, neuroscientist and theorist Dr Adam Safron joins Dr Tevin Naidu to explore one of the most ambitious frameworks in contemporary consciousness science - Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT).IWMT unites leading theories like Integrated Information Theory (IIT), Global Workspace Theory (GWT), and the Free Energy Principle (FEP) into one powerful vision: that consciousness is the brain's model of its own embodied relationship to the world.Together, they examine:- How consciousness might function as a control system for adaptive intelligence- Why embodiment and emotion are essential to conscious experience- Whether consciousness is truly causal, and how this reframes free will- How psychedelics, meditation, and altered states reveal the structure of the self-model- And what IWMT tells us about AI, evolution, and the universe itself Bridging neuroscience, philosophy, and cybernetics, this conversation invites you to rethink what it means to be aware.TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) – Introduction (02:15) – Why Consciousness Matters in the Universe(05:24) – What Is Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT)?(09:03) – Modeling the Self, Modeling the World(12:12) – Consciousness as Embodied Simulation(16:38) – Is Consciousness Causal?(20:25) – Agency and the Active Inference Brain(24:30) – Free Energy & Free Will(29:17) – The Hierarchy of Minds(34:42) – From Computation to Experience(39:28) – Why Consciousness Defies Reduction(43:05) – The Psychedelic Brain and World Modeling(47:56) – The Role of Emotion in Consciousness(52:12) – Consciousness and Causation: The Recursive Loop(57:20) – Evolution, Embodiment & the Origins of Mind(1:02:00) – Artificial Minds & Synthetic Consciousness(1:07:25) – The Cybernetic Universe Hypothesis(1:12:38) – Psychedelics & AI(1:24:45) – Engineering Artificial Consciousness(1:27:10) – Toward an Integrated, Compassionate Understanding of Mind(1:44:00) – ConclusionEPISODE LINKS:- Adam's Website: https://www.adamsafron.com/- Adam's X: https://twitter.com/adamsafron- Adam's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AdamSafron/- Adam's Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dZOoilgAAAAJ&hl=enCONNECT:- Website: https://mindbodysolution.org - YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MindBodySolution- Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com=============================Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.