Mark Twain once said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” This quote is particularly relevant in today’s age, where consensus is everything and the majority opinion is often considered to be the correct one. As Twain suggests, there are two dangers to be aware of: one is to always question the majority, the other is to never question the majority.
In the realm of science, it is important to question the pretensions of modern science, and how it may be falling into its own dogmas. For example, the extreme faith in positions such as materialism or physicalism, which have been considered to be the dominant narrative in science for decades.
Materialism, the belief that the physical world is all that exists, has become the dominant dogma in the sciences for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that materialism has been able to provide explanations for many phenomena that were previously unexplained by other belief systems. The development of scientific methods and tools such as the microscope, telescope and computer simulations, have allowed scientists to study the physical world in greater detail, and to uncover many of the underlying mechanisms that govern the natural world.
Another reason why materialism has become the dominant dogma in the sciences is that it is based on a simple, parsimonious principle: everything can be reduced to the interactions of matter and energy. This principle is easy to understand and test, and it is consistent with the scientific method. As a result, scientists have found that many phenomena can be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry, which are based on the principles of matter and energy.
Additionally, materialism has been successful in providing practical benefits to society. The application of materialist principles in technology and medicine has led to significant advancements in areas such as transportation, communication, energy production, and healthcare. For example, the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick was a direct result of the application of materialist principles, and it has led to many breakthroughs in genetic engineering, medicine, and agriculture.
Moreover, materialism has been able to provide a consistent and coherent framework for understanding the natural world. By assuming that everything can be reduced to the interactions of matter and energy, scientists are able to develop a unified understanding of the natural world. This has led to many breakthroughs in fields such as physics and chemistry, as well as the development of interdisciplinary fields such as materials science, biochemistry, and neuroscience. Materialism has also provided a framework for understanding the origins of the universe, the evolution of life, and the workings of the brain.
Furthermore, materialism has been successful in explaining the mind-body problem. The materialist explanation of consciousness, which posits that consciousness is simply a by-product of physical processes in the brain, has been able to provide a framework for understanding the relationship between the mind and the body. This has led to many breakthroughs in fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science, which have provided new insights into the workings of the brain, the nature of perception, and the origins of thought.
Lastly, materialism has been able to provide a framework for understanding the relationship between science and society. The materialist worldview has led to many breakthroughs in fields such as technology, medicine, and social science, which have provided new insights into the workings of society. This has led to the development of new policies and practices in areas such as education, healthcare, and environmental conservation.
Thus, materialism has become the dominant dogma in the sciences for several reasons. It has been able to provide explanations for many phenomena, it is based on a simple and testable principle, it has provided practical benefits to society, it has provided a consistent and coherent framework for understanding the natural world, it has explained the mind-body problem, and it has provided a framework for understanding the relationship between science and society.
But in recent times, materialism has been extensively challenged for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that materialism has been unable to provide a complete explanation for certain phenomena, particularly those related to consciousness. The subjective experience of consciousness, such as the feeling of being aware, the sense of self, and the experience of qualia, cannot be explained by the materialist view that consciousness is simply a by-product of physical processes in the brain. This has led to the development of alternative theories such as panpsychism, which posits that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of reality.
Panpsychism and idealism are two alternative theories to materialism that have been proposed to explain the nature of consciousness and the relationship between mind and matter.
Panpsychism is the view that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of reality, and that it is present in all things. According to panpsychists, consciousness is not an emergent property of matter, but rather, it is a basic feature of the universe. Panpsychists argue that consciousness is not limited to the brain or to living organisms, but that it is present in all things, including atoms, subatomic particles, and even in inanimate objects.
Idealism, on the other hand, is the view that consciousness is the fundamental reality and that the physical world is a product of consciousness. According to idealists, the physical world is an illusion, and that the only thing that truly exists is consciousness. Idealists argue that the mind and the physical world are not separate entities, but rather, that the physical world is a product of the mind.
While both panpsychism and idealism provide alternatives to materialism, they differ in their understanding of the relationship between consciousness and the physical world. Panpsychism posits that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of reality that is present in all things, while idealism posits that consciousness is the fundamental reality and that the physical world is a product of consciousness.
Panpsychism is consistent with some of the findings of quantum mechanics, which suggest that the universe may be interconnected and that consciousness may play a role in the behavior of subatomic particles. Panpsychism also provides a framework for understanding the relationship between the mind and the brain, as it posits that consciousness is not limited to the brain but is present in all things. This means that the mind and the brain are not separate entities, but rather, that the brain is a physical manifestation of consciousness.
Idealism, on the other hand, is consistent with some of the findings of neuroscience, which suggest that the brain may not be the sole source of consciousness and that consciousness may have a non-physical aspect. Idealism also provides a framework for understanding the nature of reality, as it posits that the physical world is a product of the mind and that the only thing that truly exists is consciousness.
Another reason materialism has been challenged in recent times is due to the limitations of the scientific method in understanding certain phenomena. Materialism is based on the principle that everything can be reduced to the interactions of matter and energy, but some argue that this principle is too restrictive to account for certain aspects of reality such as consciousness, meaning and information. Some scientists argue that there are certain phenomena that cannot be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry, and that there may be other principles that govern the natural world.
Additionally, new research in fields such as quantum mechanics and neuroscience has challenged the materialist view of the world. The findings of quantum mechanics suggest that matter and energy may not be the fundamental building blocks of reality, and that there may be other principles at play.
Quantum mechanics has revealed that the material world is not as solid and unchanging as we once thought. The principles of quantum mechanics suggest that the universe is not made up of tiny, solid particles, but rather, it is made up of probability waves. This means that our observations and measurements play a crucial role in shaping the reality that we perceive.
Similarly, recent findings in neuroscience suggest that the brain may not be the sole source of consciousness and that consciousness may have a non-physical aspect.
Furthermore, the principles of quantum mechanics have also challenged the notion of physicalism, which holds that the physical world is all that exists. Quantum mechanics suggests that the physical world is not separate from the mental world, and that our thoughts and consciousness play a crucial role in shaping the reality that we perceive.
Therefore, the extreme faith in positions such as materialism or physicalism, which have been considered to be the dominant narrative in science for decades, have been challenged by recent discoveries in quantum mechanics.
Bernardo Kastrup, a philosopher and researcher in the field of consciousness studies, presents a compelling argument against materialism and physicalism by highlighting the problem of consciousness.
Kastrup was born in Portugal and received his early education in physics and computer science. He later earned a PhD in Computer Engineering from the Technical University of Catalonia in Spain, where he also worked as a researcher at the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics
After his PhD, Kastrup went on to work as a researcher at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) where he was involved in the development and operation of several large-scale scientific experiments, including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). While at CERN, Kastrup was able to gain a deep understanding of the workings of the physical world, which provided him with a solid foundation for his later philosophical work.
In addition to his work at CERN, Kastrup has also held research positions at other prestigious institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and the Technical University of Eindhoven.
Kastrup has published several books, including “Why Materialism is Baloney” (2015), “The Idea of the World” (2018), and “Consciousness and the Brain” (2020). His work has received widespread recognition and has been featured in various academic journals and popular science publications.
Kastrup argues that the materialist explanation, which posits that consciousness is simply a by-product of physical processes in the brain, cannot account for the subjective experience of consciousness. He suggests that consciousness must be a fundamental aspect of reality, and not just an emergent property of physical processes.
Kastrup’s argument against materialism is based on the idea that the neural correlates of consciousness, as revealed by scientific studies, do not fully explain the subjective experience of consciousness. In other words, the fact that scientists can identify certain neural activity that is associated with conscious experience does not mean that this