Can you summarize Bernardo Kastrup’s notion of analytic idealism?
"Absolutely. Bernardo Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism is a bold metaphysical framework that flips the conventional view of reality on its head. Here’s the essence:
"Core Premise:
"Consciousness is the fundamental fabric of reality. Not atoms, not space-time—mind itself. Everything we perceive as physical is the extrinsic appearance of mental processes within a universal consciousness."
"Key Elements:
" - One Mind, Many Selves: There is only one universal consciousness. Individual minds (like yours and mine) are dissociated alters of this larger mind—akin to how multiple personalities can exist within a single person in Dissociative Identity Disorder.
" - The Physical World as Dashboard: What we call 'physical reality' is a representation—a user interface generated by mental activity. It’s not the thing-in-itself, but how mental processes appear from the outside.
" - Qualia First: Experience (color, sound, emotion) isn’t generated by the brain—it’s primary. Brains are what experience looks like from the outside.
" - Parsimony & Coherence: Kastrup argues that Analytic Idealism is more logically consistent and empirically adequate than physicalism, which struggles to explain how subjective experience arises from non-experiential matter."
"Metaphors He Uses:
" - Whirlpools in a Stream: Individual minds are like whirlpools in the stream of universal consciousness—localized but not separate.
" - Airplane Dashboard: The physical world is like a cockpit interface—it tells you what’s happening, but it’s not the engine."
"Kastrup sees this model not as mystical fluff, but as a rigorous, rational alternative to physicalism—one that aligns with neuroscience, quantum theory, and introspective experience. It’s a metaphysics that invites us to rethink not just what the world is, but what it means to be a self within it."
"Want to explore how this scaffolding might support symbolic systems or narrative architectures? I think it’s a perfect fit for your kind of storytelling. Let’s build something with it."
Is he a Neoplatonist?
"Bernardo Kastrup doesn’t identify himself as a Neoplatonist, but his Analytic Idealism shares deep affinities with Neoplatonic thought—especially in its structure and metaphysical commitments."
"Neoplatonism, particularly as articulated by Plotinus, posits a single, ineffable source (the One) from which all reality emanates in descending layers of being. Kastrup’s model similarly begins with a universal consciousness as the sole ontological primitive, from which individual minds emerge as dissociated alters—a move that echoes the Neoplatonic idea of multiplicity arising from unity."
"Where they differ is in tone and method: Kastrup grounds his arguments in analytic philosophy and empirical science, whereas Neoplatonism is more mystical and hierarchical in its cosmology. Still, both frameworks see the phenomenal world as a derivative appearance of a deeper, mental or spiritual reality."
"Interestingly, Kastrup has acknowledged a strong intellectual affinity with Advaita Vedanta, which itself shares roots with Neoplatonic themes—nonduality, emanation, and the illusion of separateness. So while he may not wear the Neoplatonist label, his metaphysics could easily sit at the same symposium table."
"Would you like to explore how these systems might converge in a symbolic or narrative architecture? I think we could sketch something that bridges Plotinus and Kastrup with your own psychotronic lens. Let’s build a metaphysical engine."
Have you any record of a book entitled Trances People Live?
