Julian Baggini - What is Ultimate Reality?

What is the deepest nature of things? Our world is complex, filled with so much stuff. But down below, what's most fundamental, what is ultimate reality? Is there anything nonphysical? Anything spiritual? Or only the physical world? Many feel certain of their belief, on each side of controversial question.
Free access to Closer to Truth's library of 5,000 videos: bit.ly/376lkKN
Watch more interviews on the nature of reality: bit.ly/3f6tB8k
Julian Baggini is the author of several books about philosophy written for a general audience. He was awarded his PhD in 1996 from University College and contributes to a variety of newspapers, magazines and BBC radio.
Register for free at CTT.com for subscriber-only exclusives: bit.ly/2GXmFsP
Closer to Truth presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[@bryancook7006]

Great back and forth in this discussion! Really enjoyed it.

[@clownworld-honk410]

In the words of Jeff Lebowski "Well, like, that's just your opinion, man".

[@raphpopozz4495]

The content does not correspond to the title ; it's about the meaning of life, which is a totally different matter than the ultimate reality

[@humlakullen]

A wise man once said: "There are different levels of truth. The truth you'll find, is proportional to your level of understanding". A: The "meaning of life, is to give life meaning". B: Ultimate reality is out of our reach, because we are limited by our five senses.

[@jjcm3135]

That’s not true. We are not limited to our five senses. Nothing wise about that.

[@TGBurgerGaming]

Ah, yes. The universe was an accident. Then there were more accidents and a couple of more accidents and then the accidents accidentally made complex life by accident. This is truly delusional.

[@butterchuggins5409]

My mom says I was an accident.

[@TGBurgerGaming]

@@butterchuggins5409 she's wrong. You were a mistake.

[@butterchuggins5409]

@@TGBurgerGamingCan I not be both? She says I was an accident AND a mistake. I'm pretty sure she means it was an accidental pregnancy, and a mistake not to abort. Hey, whatever, at least your mom seems glad to see me!

[@TGBurgerGaming]

@@butterchuggins5409 why must you disappoint BOTH of our mothers?

[@bozo5632]

Not accidental, incidental.

[@orangeSoda35]

When he started to talk about the meaning of life, I thought the British guy was going to say, 42.

[@seascape35]

what does 42 refer to?

[@christyme6395]

@@seascape35 It's from "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy." In the book the earth was actually a super computer that was computing the meaning of life. It comes to the conclusion the meaning of life is "42" and then states it will have to go back to computing in order to explain what that means in a way we can understand. Unfortunately moments before it's finished computing and just before it gives the answer the earth is destroyed.

[@moses777exodus]

DNA code can be equated to a type of computer language. DNA code is more complex than regular computer language in that it is not binary (based on 0 and 1). It is quaternary (based on A T C G). And, as with every known language in existence, confirmed through scientific experiment and observation, is the product of only one thing ... mind/ consciousness /intelligence. ... _"The discovery of the structure of DNA transformed biology profoundly, catalysing the sequencing of the human genome and engendering a new view of biology as an _*_Information Science_*_ . Two features of DNA structure account for much of its remarkable impact on science: its _*_Digital_*_ nature and its complimentary, whereby one strand of the helix binds perfectly with its partner. DNA has two types of _*_Digital Information_*_ - the genes that _*_Encode_*_ proteins, which are the _*_Molecular Machines_*_ of life, and the _*_Gene Regulatory Networks_*_ that specify the behavior of the genes."_ (Source: Nature Journal, Nature com) _"Language: ALL _*_Digital_*_ communications require a formal language, which in this context consists of all the information that the sender and receiver of the digital communication must both possess, in advance, in order for the communication to be successful."_ (Wikipedia: Digital Data) Modern scientific discoveries in Genetics (i.e. biology) have shown that functional / coded / digital Information (i.e. DNA code) is at the core of *All* Biological Systems. Without functional / coded / digital information, there is NO biology. The only known source (i.e. cause) in the universe that has been Observed in nature to be capable of producing functional / coded / digital information, such as that found even in the most primitive biological systems, is mind / consciousness / intelligence.

[@buddyrichable1]

@@moses777exodus I’ve heard Berardo Kastrup refer to this information. Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that it indicates DNA was a conscious creation separate from matter.

[@bozo5632]

@@seascape35 Precisely.

[@mikedziuba8617]

It's not possible to have meaning without any consciousness and without any mind. Because it's the mind that makes sense of the world and creates meaning out of it. So, looking for meaning makes sense only if you look for it in some consciousness and mind, either somebody else's or your own. And of course, you can also create meaning in your own mind, either on your own or together with other people. Because meaning is something your mind naturally creates. It's not something you necessarily need to find. And you can create it consciously and deliberately, just like you can consciously and deliberately look for it. A lot of people find meaning in the feeling of love. And one of the reasons for this is because strong feelings and emotions narrow your time horizon and focus your attention and your mind on the present. So, you lose your awareness of the fact that you personally will die in the future, and of course you also lose your awareness of more distant events in the future. Meaning is a subjective experience of the mind. And if you understand how the mind works, then you can create meaning that makes all the sense now in the present, and you aren't even aware of distant future. So, the distant future isn't affecting your experience of meaning at all in such a situation. And this is what happens when people feel strong love. That's why love might be the ultimate meaning of life in the subjective sense. And of course all personal experience is subjective, including that of meaning and love.

[@xspotbox4400]

There is no organ for love, it's a complex emotion, not something what stay the same in any situation. To be a human is to control your animal nature, we learn how to understand ourselves better and restrict our tendencies, so we can live and work together towards complicated technical solutions for our common problems, not possible to resolve by any single individual.

[@Bassotronics]

And of course the video has to end with Lawrence being “right”. Lol

[@donespiritu1345]

He is right. Kuhn is being disingenuous when he says "if there is no ultimate meaning then he doesn't want to delude himself into the wrong meaning. How could he possibly know with 100% certitude that he'd found the ultimate truth. How could he prove it.

[@RobertWF42]

If there is no ultimate purpose to life, no afterlife, no God, then "doing good for goodness' sake" takes on far more meaning doesn't it?

[@unameit0000]

Wow :)

[@moses777exodus]

Belief in a purely materialistic Darwinian Evolution leads one to believe, albeit falsely, that there is no Free Will. And if there is no Free Will, then there is no Right and Wrong, no meaning and purpose, and no Moral Law, which is completely contrary to everything that is practiced and observed in nature, humanity, and the cosmos regarding cause and effect. This line of reasoning is what led to the atrocities of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc and is the hidden underlying ideology justifying and directing many countries' foreign and domestic policies to the present.

[@RobertWF42]

@@moses777exodus @Moses Exodus You don't think Hitler, Stalin, and Mao believed in free will? How do you know that? I don't know anything about their personal beliefs on free will, or if they even cared. But I don't think philosophical convictions about free will was their prime motivation, more like a sickening pursuit of power. Who says there's no good or evil if free will doesn't exist? I still feel just as crappy hurting someone whether free will exists or not - and accepting personal responsibility. We're still human beings. I agree if Hitler, etc. had been more compassionate, even spiritual men, millions of lives would have been saved. But I won't say religious - too much blood has been spilled over the centuries in the name of, or in spite of, strong religious beliefs. A religious Stalin may have been a worse monster. Free will is an elusive concept to prove. I don't think you can directly observe free will in action by, say, watching living neurons under a microscope. Who knows, maybe it's wrapped up in quantum effects at the atomic level? At any rate I think there's more to the Universe than the observed laws of physics and matter & energy. Conscious experience & feelings, for one thing.

[@moses777exodus]

During an on stage discussion with Lawrence Krauss, Richard Dawkins admits, *_"I have a materialist view of the world ... so that commits me to the view that when I think I have free will ... I'm deluting myself."_* (Dr. Richard Dawkins is widely regarded as the world's foremost expert on Darwinian Evolution.)

[@moses777exodus]

*_“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.”_* Max Plank (the Father of Quantum Physics) ... It is curious how Max Plank's conclusions were so revolutionary in the field of science / physics (i.e. the immaterial (non-material) reality of nature and "the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind" as the ultimate force behind the fabric of reality). Yet, when microbiologists. biologists, geneticists, biochemists, other scientists, etc. come to the same conclusion (i.e. Intelligence/consciousness/mind is an integral and fundamental force behind the initial introduction and subsequent propagation of biological systems), they are rebuffed as being "unscientific". *Matter cannot exist without physical laws and constants first existing. Physical laws and constants cannot exist without mind / consciousness / intelligence first existing. Mind / consciousness / intelligence is Prime. Mind Exists Before Matter.*

[@moses777exodus]

The concept of "Nothing" represented by the number "0" (zero) did not exist in the beginning. The number "0" (zero) is a relatively recent human innovation in mathematics. But, there has always been "1" (one). The fact that one (1) exists and can generate the position/concept of "nothing" (0) shows that there first exists one (1). Thus, nothing (0) does not truly exist alone: One (1) must first exist that can generate the position/concept of nothing (0). Mathematically, Absolute nothing "could be" expressed as 0 to the power of 0, which can equal 1. "Nothing" IS "Something"; because, it comes from "Something". Moreover, since Nothing (perceived) is not Nothing (actual), then it is possible for Something to come from Nothing (actual). Because, Something (1) is inherently pre-existing within Nothing (actual), hence, 0 to the power of 0 can equal 1. Simply put, Something (1) exists before Nothing (0) can exist. In the beginning, there was singularity (1).

[@xspotbox4400]

@@moses777exodus Number theory doesn't start like that. There is no theory in beginning, you must build symbols and axioms from grounds up. Like, you can take some symbol and say, whatever this new dimension was, this symbol punched a hole in it. It was one symbol, so there is a hole in that number dimension. Then you can take your mathematical essence and make a cast by filling that dent caused by your symbol. This is how you create 1 number in the middle of nothing, from an imaginary substance. Nothing was always there, not 1 and not 0.

[@safetydave720]

Reality is relative to the observer. It is not a universal constant. reality is based on observations. Yes it will continue to exists but it will be seen slightly different by each observer. Let's say 10 of us look at a green tree with a red flower at the center. We all will see a green tree with a red flower but we each perceive the colors slightly differently due to our eyes are not all exactly the same. In the group, all people are standing inches apart, giving different visual perspective for each person. Einstein didnt address these factors but I did. lol

[@20july1944]

No, that's ridiculous. There is a consistent underlying reality and if you actually doubt that, that's a sign of paranoia.

[@EverythingCameFromNothing]

What about when an observer dies? Reality continues to exist, doesn’t it?

[@haridevv.s8502]

Even if I'm the only true observer in this universe I won't be able to prove it 😥

[@GeertKok]

What are blind spots then?

[@moses777exodus]

Information doesn't create the cosmos. Information waves are the fabric of the cosmos. And, as demonstrated with the famous double slit experiment, a conscious observer converts those information waves of potentiality / probability into "particle", "matter", or "cosmos". The Prime Observer creates the Cosmos.

[@achillesbuchanan2095]

It’s somewhat easier to live a meaningless life if it is a comfortable one. Postcode/Zip Code goes a long way.

[@Nonconceptuality]

He has no clue what ultimate Reality is. No idea why this exists

[@ronhudson3730]

We are of the universe. We are the universe experiencing itself. It and we are one and the same. For it to see itself, if must have eyes. For it to contemplate itself, it must have mind. For it to contemplate the future, it must have us.

[@bozo5632]

There's poetic truth in that, but the universe doesn't actually have to see itself or contemplate anything. It was here, blind and mindless for eons without us, and it will be blind and mindless again when we (and all life) are gone, forever. We aren't the universe looking at itself, we are little smudges of life, half blind, looking around our immediate vicinity in a vast, expanding and unthinking universe. Wouldn't it be neat if we were central players? But, except in our own minds, we ain't.

[@asathelogiclaman637]

Nonsense

[@timkadillari7478]

Human arrogance of the highest order

[@hkicgh7277]

How can a machine that has a Creator (Whatever the creator is) tell itself the meaning of its existence?

[@dnavas7719]

Beautifully said

[@jameswaterhouse-brown6646]

When you realise you’re not the machine you are awake to fact that you are the creator.

[@xenphoton5833]

@@jameswaterhouse-brown6646 the creator of...💩

[@yourkingdomcomeyourwillbedone]

@@jameswaterhouse-brown6646 You created all of creation?

[@shawnparker1207]

what is it all about - Alfie

[@freethot333]

My dogs seem happy with life and living. I am too.

[@seascape35]

We can learn so much from our dogs!

[@asathelogiclaman637]

The dog doesnot have the capability to even search for a meaning of life... You are not a dog...i mean if you dont conder yourself as one then just to remind you.. We as human not only are the only concious creature to have the capability to seek meaning but also we thrive for meaning in everything and try to avoide nonsense

[@marcopony1897]

@@asathelogiclaman637 yeah but you also don't have to constantly think about the meaning of life either. Sometimes you should let those thoughts go and become play- and joyful like a dog. Or in another words: just be

[@arkeusalexander9054]

Only a creator can give an objective meaning to it's creation. If there is no creator we can try to find meaning but it's all subjective.

[@jameswaterhouse-brown6646]

You are the subjective

[@erikhviid3189]

All religious people claim that THEIR God give them objective meaning of life. All religions can’t be right/true. But they can all be wrong. So for the majority of religious - if not all of them - the objective meaning of life is an illlusion based on a delusion. Kind of funny - at least if you are an atheist.

[@arkeusalexander9054]

@@erikhviid3189 Kind of sad you mean, you know for sure that your existence is meaningless, pointless... What ever meaning you try to find in it is for sure subjective and an absolute illusion. You also don't have any objective moral criteria to differenciate between right and wrong, every belief you hold regarding morality and values is an illusion, and come from your subjective point of view or is unconsiously inherited from religious values and western laws/human rights which inherited most of their preassumptions and beliefs from christianity and objective values it gives to human's life and other things. From your core belief's perspective deprived from any theological, religious inherited ideology or background, everything is just purposeless, chaotic, blind, deaf, dumb and random rearrangement of atoms and molecules, human life does not objectively have more value than a tree's life, slaughtering a cow, and slicing a baby's neck are not objectively different, it's just random rearrangement of matter. You don't have any answer to the "why" questions, because the answers of these kind questions are beyond reach for science (for example why do we exist). Science cannot give objective existential meaning and values to things. And there you are wandering in your aimless existence, pointless day after pointless day, waiting for death to strike any time for you to coldly leave this life alone as you came alone without having a clue about what all of this was really about and what comes next, is there even something after. Absolutely clueless as in your ignorance you spent your life mocking everything that claimed to be the truth without seriously looking into it, analyzing it deeply using your sound reasoning, sincerely seeking answers to the deepest questions related to the human condition before rejecting it... I mean of all people, you atheists are in the worst position, if there is no God, nothing is waiting for you after death and we are all in the same boat, if there is a God you are eternally doomed and you cannot blame anyone except yourself as you had free will, eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart to feel, an intellect to reflect and meditate and alot of time to seek truth and ask for guidance if there is a God out there actually seeing and hearing you, but out of arrogance you did none of that so i don't know what is funny about it. The only way you can rationally explain why you have joints in your elbows and your knees, or eyebrows which protects your eyes from liquids that come from above such as sweet and rain, or a nose next to your mouth allowing to smell food before eating instead it being next to your anus or your genitals is blind, deaf, random rearrangement of matter while we believe there is an intelligent Creator, a Designer, a Maker by using our rational faculties. Now this start to look "kind of funny" don't you think so :)

[@erikhviid3189]

@Igcocuta don’t sniff glue - and don’t read “holy” books.

[@bluelotus542]

Some of the basic questions a human being should ask are: Where do I come from? Where am I going? What am I doing here? Why must I suffer even if I don't want to?

[@Nonconceptuality]

This realm is a Divine game, with the goal being to escape. The exit to the labyrinth is through THOUGHT FREE AWARENESS. Turn attention away from thoughts and sensations and onto that which is having the thoughts/sensations

[@christyme6395]

It's difficult to do and I am by no means perfect at it but we don't have to suffer. Suppose you fall and break your arm you will of course experience physical pain, what happens next is up to you. You can say "Okay I feel this pain, it's there and I should go find a doctor." and let that be that or you can say "Damn, my arms broken! Oh god, help! This pain is terrible!!! I have my first guitar lesson next week and now I'll have to cancel that too! Why is this happening to me? This sucks!!!" If you go with the second train of thought you have now entered the realm of suffering because you have let the physical pain effect your mind and your outlook in a negative way.

[@safetydave720]

No. All we need to ask is who and how can I help. It is our obligation to help others.

[@Nonconceptuality]

@@safetydave720 There are no others Upon waking from a dream, does one feel compassion for the dream characters?

[@xenphoton5833]

@@Nonconceptuality I had a dream of your mother

[@moses777exodus]

The entire Universe is observed, by practically all scientists, to be both structured and have meaning in that it follows precisely defined laws (i.e. has meaning). Laws, and nature, are not random or meaningless. And with these precise laws in nature, there is "purpose in the future", as observed by practically all scientists, in that there is cause (i.e. Past, Present) and effect (i.e. Future). Is there any rational and reasonable scientist who would deny the existence of cause and effect?

[@martinaee]

For me the ultimate reality is facing the fact that you will be absorbed back into "all of reality" and yet you will never grasp its full nature. The ultimate reality is that we ARE reality trying to understand itself.

[@soubhikmukherjee6871]

Scientism is the new religion in the town now.

[@NikkiTrudelle]

I don’t think there is much meaning, in the real sense for people as individuals in the universe, I just think that ultimately we are some strange variant of energy expressing itself through space and time as biological matter. If there is an overall grand meaning, it would only be realized with the entire goings on of all biology, for the whole process of civilization and carrying on by humans/animals that is part of the function(s) that are needed to be carried out by some forces in higher dimensions beyond our current understanding, in order to carry out the process of a function within the flow of energy and space time that serves a higher “purpose” for the flow of energy through higher dimensions.

[@bozo5632]

I think you can leave the higher dimensions and forces out of it.

[@NikkiTrudelle]

@@bozo5632 well time is a dimension, as I said we are energy expression through time. We don’t understand I don’t understand why are engulfed in this process though. So really these speculation doesn’t add much because I don’t know how to prove it or disprove it. I do wonder if when a 4 dimensional being looks at us eating meat and sees us in the same way as someone who is eating their own lip. I’m not a vegetarian don’t get me wrong, but if you extrapolate our connection as beings in time carrying energy it’s possible that it could look that way from another perspective

[@carobresler2767]

No God...afterlife...soul.. conciousness...ultimate purpose...hope... meaning? 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔 He keeps on saying "we have to be honest"...honestly? Many of us feel God,the soul,and all that which cannot be seen...but is😉😉😉😉😉😉

[@dongshengdi773]

if the universe is meaningless , then why would the inorganic universe create organic life like US humans to Experience life with Consciousness but only in a blink of an eye compared to the age of the universe? Why not remain as a rock happily drifting in space for billions and billions of years? Why become a human being to Experience different emotions and struggles in life?

[@GlenfordR]

random chance

[@EverythingCameFromNothing]

It will return to being a rock happily drifting through space (if Entropy continues increasing) 😃 Why not experience everything that is possible, including being human?

[@cheezoncrack1]

@@GlenfordR stupid, all this was inevitable, the universe is fine tuned for life, for it to experience itself

[@GlenfordR]

@@cheezoncrack1 if you say so, LOL

[@francesco5581]

@@GlenfordR random chance is acceptable when that random chance is not 1 out of 1094334823423472347234827347293487234723947347294739479247294279 and that is related to so many steps in both universe and life development (and still there will be the question how something come out of nothingness)

[@DurgaDas96]

Check our Vedanta. They have over 3000 years (conservative estimate) in delving deep into this question. Although part of Hinduism, Vedanta has more in common with philosophy than religion. The goal is to “know” truth, beyond mere belief.

[@IAlephI]

I agree there are some people that point and laugh at believers calling them delusional and believing in falsehood. Which is funny in itself, same person creates his own truth, his own meaning and in the end all goes away anyway, but still feels you are the delusional one. The one with temporary truth is not delusional.. the one believing in everlasting truth is. Religion is reduced by certain atheists as a bunch of cavemen observing thunder and lighting and attributing to the sky a "hand of god" throwing lightning. If you hear the same people, they themselves believe in their own non-sense i.e they are waiting to see "a hand of god". Picture a car, a bunch of people start learning a few things about how certain things operate inside it and they come to the final conclusion. The car has no designer. We have looked inside the car and did not see any designer inside it pushing buttons for things to operate. We have looked inside the universe and human body and did not see any God inside it pushing buttons for things to operate. A bunch of people expecting and demanding to observe a hand pushing buttons to then attribute it as God. Have they not considered the laws within and surrounding? Whatever laws physical, moral etc are all defined. Defined in the sense following or transgressing against these laws have consequences on a human. Question is who defines what is good, what is bad? What is truth and what is falsehood? Is truth inherited from rocks and bacteria or is truth a man made concept? If so then couldn't the same human change the rules, make truth bad and falsehood good. Take Pharaoh for example, calls himself God. In his mind he is. Why wouldn't he believe he is God, when his kangaroo court is answerable to him. Causes pain and suffering for many, in the end he and the victims lie in the same place. Truth and justice is what you make of it. When you die, so does everything, because all of that is in your head. Thats what a delusional person believes. Me personally, I wouldn't want to follow a path of delusion. There is consistency in truth. Truth is not an illusion that you create in the present and then dies with you when you close your eyes. a) Defining the truth No limited entity is capable of defining and setting limits/boundaries, by definition they are limited themselves. Is the ability to define truth with the Creator or a created entity? An entity that is unbound by any entity, having the ability to define or an entity that is bound and defined itself? b) Guidance The question is whoever we want as our guide should have certain qualities, else we are only following a path of mistakes, regrets. Do i choose a blind or a seeing guide, are they equal? (Holy Quran 10:35) Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, “Can any of your associate-gods guide to the truth?” Say, “˹Only˺ Allah guides to the truth.” Who then is more worthy to be followed: the One Who guides to the truth or those who cannot find the way unless guided? What is the matter with you? How do you judge? c) Judgement According to Pharaoh he lived in truth and lived in reality, he wasn't delusional. Truth and justice stoping upon his death is not delusion according to him. Except truth and judgement doesn't stop there. Thats when he faces the Ultimate reality. (Holy Quran 40:58) And not equal are the blind and the seeing, nor are those who believe and do righteous deeds and the evildoer. Little do you remember.

[@bjm6275]

The deepest nature of things is spiritual. What is the spiritual? The spiritual is energy and forces beyond that which is physical. They are the foundation of everything, including the laws that govern reality. Primordial energy and force instrumentally caused the creation of quantum reality which produced physical reality. To maintain the existence of quantum and physical reality due to entropy primordial energy and force has to continuously be supplied to them. Like the earth need continuous energy from the sun and objects in space, how the body needs continuous energy through the sky, food and water from the earth.

[@moses777exodus]

The entire Universe is observed, by practically all scientists, to be both structured and have meaning in that it follows precisely defined laws (i.e. has meaning). Laws, and nature, are not random or meaningless. And with these precise laws in nature, there is "purpose in the future", as observed by practically all scientists, in that there is cause (i.e. past, present) and effect (i.e. future). Is there any rational and reasonable scientist who would deny the existence of cause and effect?

[@sanravi9886]

Atheists can say there isn't any meaning or truth in life and go do everything in the non-moral/whatever ways to prove that their belief is right. Some enlightened say ultimate reality is God and everything else is an illusion but to me illusion looks like reality as it is within my means. How did Neo feel when he was shown the reality in Matrix? Neo was constantly looking for meaning, purpose, and that search led him to meet Trinity and Morpheus. So I say we keep questioning, and searching for that ultimate reality.

[@glennbalck752]

Kuhn's Closer to Truth has purpose

[@dreyestud123]

For Kuhn to trivialize a personal meaning for life is a huge mistake. Kuhn lives to agitate scientists and philosophers with questions that have no satisfactory answers. I'm sure Kuhn loves his family and friends and has found meaning in creating his videos. I think he's being dishonest in trivializing his personal beliefs.

[@williamburts5495]

First question should be, what is reality? then you ask, what is ultimate reality? we could say " reality " is a perception or conception in consciousness, hence reality is something that we are conscious of. since this material reality can only be known by a conscious agent for it to be known to exist consciousness is what defines reality.

[@jeancorriveau8686]

Ultimate reality? It's whatever unconditional that is common to all human beings. Will to live. Eating, etc. Other than those, our brain creates its own reality.

[@dreyestud123]

Baggini is right, Kuhn has to be honest with himself and realize someday he will die. And Kuhn SHOULD realize that before he dies he should not have the feeling his life was wasted.

[@timemechanicone]

Why are alllllllllll your MATES never coloured ... hmmmmmmmmm 😜🧐🌬 🦖 not a scientist - r you a fake? YEP

[@michaelshortland8863]

Life and my life have no meaning, i have no purpose. But i am a pattern that continues through time ,while slowly changing and that is interesting.

[@haridevv.s8502]

Maybe DEATH will give an answer to this question...I'm just hoping

[@magnusjonsson7303]

This is a bit funny. It is like searching seriously for the meaning of life a whole lifetime just to find out that there is no. It is really chasing one's own tail 😂...

[@bozo5632]

OTOH Kuhn has turned this fruitless search into a pretty good gig. Imagine getting paid, even a penny, to meet and interview all these famously smart and interesting people.

[@hajorm.a3474]

There is a meaning for life, the meaning YOU give to it... Kuhn was a bit too aggressive on this one.

[@AmitKumar-uu4ni]

When u see,all searches are meaningless,then ones life begins.

[@arpitthakur45]

the meaning of life is to keep finding meaning to live...

[@moses777exodus]

3:30 "There is something real. There's life. There's experience. There's relationship. There's beauty. There's love..." Everything that the scientist just described as being "real" are non-material / immaterial entities. Unfortunately, Materialists have adopted the subjective belief that non-material / immaterial entities do not exist. Is that belief rational and reasonable when attempting to describe the totality of reality?

[@moses777exodus]

Science is suppose to be a “Search for the Truth”. Unfortunately, in today’s society, as with virtually all other fields of human endeavor (including Religion), the field of “Science” has been corrupted by profit, politics, and ideological agenda where misinformation and disinformation proliferate to propagandize the world.

[@poorboi8093]

lmao ironic isn't it.

[@moses777exodus]

If there is no Truth in science, then why interview All of these scientists to get "Closer to Truth"?

[@moses777exodus]

*_“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”_* Arthur Schopenhauer

[@davetubervid]

The general tenor of the comments on here is excellent. I learned as much from them as from the talk itself. Obviously, Closer to Truth attracts some of the best brains around. (The others are probably all on Twitter).

[@TheAlf411]

Bro if you try DMT, all your questions and search with come to a conclusion...

[@LeventeCzelnai]

Or if u have schizophenia

[@z.o.e3023]

Meaning is only given by those that create something to their creations. One cant just invent a meaning for themselves.

[@hgracern]

Are they “there”. That’s what you’re asking Julian isn’t it. What universe. …thank you, great interview.

[@BLSFL_HAZE]

The universe around us seems pretty ultimate to me.

[@douglaswims5763]

So many people think that they are open minded, but don’t realize that they are not. That’s why I love Closer to truth and how he explores these topics. I want to believe that there is something like god, nature, or some kind of in everything presents, like gravity, or the forces, or even the theorized fields for particles etc. What ever you want to call it, but I don’t think it is anything like the good books, say it is. But there is a side of me that thinks that there could be nothing and when we are gone, that’s it and it won’t matter cause your nothing again. No thoughts, pain, or anguish, or all the feel good feelings to. Being human is hard and it gets harder as I get older. So many people let other people think for them instead of trying to get Closer To Truth.

[@seascape35]

As a follow-up to this discussion, I recommend watching "Hannah and her Sisters" by Woody Allen. Specifically, when he gets sick and contemplates death.

[@simsixzero]

We do NOT need, and we do NOT have, the meaning and the purpose; Nothing makes life worth living; Nothing gives the meaning or purpose to life; there are love and beauty, BUT there are much more hatred and ugliness

[@BLSFL_HAZE]

Perhaps, but beyond that hatred and ugliness is the peace of oblivion.

[@moses777exodus]

*_“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”_* Arthur Schopenhauer

[@theliamofella]

Problem with that is for example Islam Christianity and atheism have all been ridiculed and violently opposed but all can’t be called truth 💁‍♂️

[@phuzbrain]

Joseph Campbell had a similar outlook. The meaning is in the experience of life and that is it. Follow your Bliss.

[@williamesselman3102]

Social media employee

[@timkadillari7478]

The meaning of life is to pay taxes surely

[@msimp0108]

This discussion is boring and inconsequential. It’s meaningless.

[@AnonCoder37]

Robert, If you were God, what purpose would you desire for your creation?

[@jameswaterhouse-brown6646]

To be aware of yourself . Check out Rupert Spira . The truth of what you really are is awesome.

[@IrishBengalCat]

Well thats a relief life is totally pointless

[@GlenfordR]

Julian and I are of the same mind and the closer to truth guy is fighter for a reason to believe in religions path forward. I am starting to thing "closer to Truth" is in search of a good reason to believe in God. He was very accepting of the religious group he had on but now seem to be fighting a well reasoned Julian.

[@EverythingCameFromNothing]

Agreed!!

[@francesco5581]

because is our nature , Baggini have build a "acting stance" and he write books about it ...But a normal persona with this view of life would become a nihilistic tragedy .

[@magnusjonsson7303]

The more the ultimate truth, the greater the risk of being fooled.

[@aifan6148]

It's entropy 🤷‍♀️

[@evanjameson5437]

Bob--I like you being a little argumentative and cranky! Pour it on Brother! As for being fooled--how could that be? If you believe in God/Higher Power or a different dimension and it made you happy during this life and then you died and there was nothing on the other side--how would you know you were fooled?

[@swarsur]

I like this guy Julian... He is pragmatic, practcal and pertinent... No primordial cause or a penultinate purpose. 3:30 "There is something real, There is life. There is experience. There is relationships, There is beauty, There is love, there is pleasure, there is pain, there is struggle. There are all sorts of things out there. Now, these things are not invented. They are real, they are there... ... we find in these things reasons to live". 8:45 There is no ultimate purpose, there is no ultimate point.

[@BigMansTea]

What kind of philosopher comes from a rich ponce English background? His foresight and ture thirst for knowledge is it undermined by his privileges.

[@messenjah71]

We have ourselves a purpose when we separated from God. The purpose was a separate will from the One Will of the Creator. The wish to be separate is what created the witness to that wish: separate bodies. The story for all bodies is the same: birth and death, with the intervening time carried out by the hero of a dream. This insane purpose can be turned back to wholeness and peace if given over to the Holy Spirit. Used for his purpose, our insane wish to be separate can be used to awaken to truth, but you must be willing to listen. "Many are called, few are chosen" should read "All are called, but few choose to listen". Be willing, then, to turn towards truth. Practice forgiveness. Hasten the end of time and the return to timelessness.

[@mockupguy3577]

What is real? What is reality? What is true reality? What is real reality? What is true real reality? What is ultimate reality? What is the foundation of reality? What is the true real ultimate foundation of real reality?

[@Snow-hd9cd]

You are.

[@stevecoley8365]

Truth (love) is real. Ignorance (absence of love) is not real. A vampire called greed is ignorant (dead). The clever coyote (greed) is always trying to catch the roadrunner (love). But never does. Because something that is not real (absence of love) can never catch that which is real (love). That coyote is a crazy clown... The roadrunner is the state bird of the Land of Enchantment. The land of magic (love).

[@bozo5632]

The best way I know to study human nature is to study animal nature. Pick animals that aren't too familiar, like birds or lizards - not like dogs or primates. Watch them hop around awhile. They're fearful, needy, ambitious... Just like us, without all the familiar complexity. Watch them, get used to them, understand them - without anthropomophizing them. Do the opposite - lizardomorphize yourself. Don't see yourself in them, try to see them in yourself.

[@lpaveivyourainellzeldayesh9619]

Ultimate reality: A manifesto. Simulation means that something or someone or possibly an experience was or is being simulated or copied from. Simulation and or baseline reality? How to tell? Avima. She is from another simulation or she is from baseline reality. Right? And same with us. Right? So the math I would use is black math. Chaos. Absolute zero. That is baseline reality. The singularity of. But how could you be baseline reality and absolute zero? Dreams possibly. Another sim? A heaven of sorts? God? Human? Is it all based on humanity? Maybe. Let's go with yes. This copy of God. Humanity. Or this God. ??? So. A God thing. Absolute zero. Baseline reality. Singularity. Consciousness. Life. Photon. What can all this be? A thought. How can you be a thought? Meditation. Om. What about time? From thought to thought, the middle stuff. What is it? That's no thought. That's God. Right? Or what God is. It's just a word. Think. Yes. That's in time. That's the future. Potential. Om. From potential to time. What is it? Attention. Observation. Anyways. Can I be left alone for a bit please. Really.

[@tdiddle8950]

This is a great conversation. Reincarnation has been scientifically proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Just look into it with an open mind. Check out UVA School of Medicine.

[@stefanschmidbauer6075]

I'd rather go with Stuart Kauffmann's point of view (also in this channel), describing the purpose of the Universe as increasing diversity. If God *does* exist and increasing diversity, realizing all possibilities etc is the purpose of this existence, one could decide to emulate that in their own sphere of influence - In the hope to score some points with the big chief. And if there is no God, then don't emulate. What's the problem. Looking for a purpose of your (human) life seems almost arrogant in a way to me as if other beings' life's meaning is lesser. That all seems to originate from humans trying to convince themselves about how special we are. For myself, I'd go with: We're not special, the universe is! It brought us into existence because that's what it does if you give it enough chances, it will do even more great stuff

[@null.och.nix7743]

no experiences, no selves, ultimately nothing.. only cero , nibbana or whatever you wanna call it.. is just the linguistification of nature. philosophy is futile. "ultimately reality" is off the scale lol..

[@cvan7681]

For the answer to these questions, watch Lawrence's interview with Don Hoffman... The talk about finding meaning, but never about creating it

[@482jpsquared]

The creation of the universe is not an historical event. It's an ongoing continuum. If you believe in "God", then God creates the universe, as in God sustains it. It's not a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. If you don't believe in "God", but begin to understand the science of our existence (I don't "get" it myself, nor does anyone of us, really, for sure), then the law of conservation of energy, the fundamentals of the Higgs boson, and such inform us that creation of the universe and its sustenance are ongoing. The big bang itself didn't "happen"; it's still happening.

[@robchristopher8244]

I found Mr Baggini a little bit too fluid and out there in this interview. To say that the past _ the big bang _ evolution is not relevant is strange when 1000s of scientists - physicists have devoted their entire lives and humankind has spent billions $ trying to understand this universe _ where WE came from _ and where WE might be heading , important questions in the grand scheme... Sometimes interviewers might serve those interested in learning better by examining a smaller specific topic in more detail

[@artsmart]

A very dismal and hollow outlook if there's no higher spiritual purpose to this existence. It could be so but I choose to agree with Robert, it sounds like a typical atheist's cop-out. The very fact that we're here and conscious of it suggests a higher purpose or meaning.

[@cpymo]

Present the reasons given here for a personally created meaning, or a transcendental meaning to people, and some will go one way and some another (or even some other alternatives). That is, the choices made will not truly arise from the consideration of the philosophical "reasoning" but from the underlying psychological makeup of a person, which is the consequence of accidental construction in any individual.

[@magicman9094]

Lets say there was more than just this entire universe logically there would have to be something for the universe to be in unless you go with the blackhole family tree theory and if you did you still end up at the same place what was there b4 the oldest universe. So let say there was a creator or an event which created everything there ever has been we still end up with where did God or the event come from or how was it started if there was nothing to begin with. No matter what explanation you come across you still end up with this same question. Let's say we try another approach let's say everything there ever has been has always been here or there then you have the problem because there was no start to anything at this point cause and effect breaks down and we are left with everything didn't come from nothing and it didn't come from something either. So how does everything come from neither nothing or something and how do we prove or justify logically the answer. The answer I believe is quite hard to grasp but here it is. The universe and everything beyond does not exist but the universe and everything beyond does exist there was a beginning but there was no begining, God exists and God does not exist. Reality exists but reality does not exist, we exist but we do not exist. Everything seems to equate to a Paradox however even though a paradox exists a paradox does not exist. So we exist and dont exist in a paradoxical paradox!

[@JohnnyTwoFingers]

At 525 the guess claims ~he has no lasting signifigance in the world. He does not realize this is his model of reality he is looking at, he has no awareness of the idea that this conversation is being watched by thousands of *unusual* agents in the system within which he lives, who engage in subsequent activities in a manner potentially influenced by this video.

[@Snow-hd9cd]

Cogito ergo sum.

[@PJRiter1]

appearance is what is important if no one can really perceive reality. We make the world. without us there would just be a pile of particles and energy. every timeline will always be there. it does not go away. we only perceive chunks of the universe at great distances, so then at is all that affects things here.

[@arkdark5554]

No matter how hard you try, the grey haired man, at the end…there’s no an entity, called god. You just have to accept it and…get on with your life. Sorry dude.

[@zyltch1]

Each person has to find their own 'purpose' - somehow - there is no purpose beyond the capacity of human's to imagine.

[@treatb09]

Ultimate reality. Thats an odd concept. What is outside this universe that would formulate our reality? Its like men in black then... but its still a great question. An ultimate state of reality we cant hold in the laws of philosophy. Sorry. They are laws. Thats why they are laws. You cant break them. But you can pretend they have limits. As all concepts scale. We combine and scale them further. To rationalize them the 2 ideals that formulate the basic state. I would consider then that at the ultimate level we’d have the same two states. Inevitable. So then in between. Perfectly in between. We’d have as much difference from the inevitability of the law of philosophy that for something to exist it must first have nothing to exist within. N we could complicate that to any degree of sub quantum matter. However the scale. To rationalize the difference though the two basic states make up all matter. Then. What is an ultimate reality but within another paradox of some other dimension of paradox?

[@paulrharmer]

You don’t exist but something IS here. Fall in love with that existence but don’t attach.

[@agar1974]

If you don’t want to change any other then there will be strong possibility you will speak truth…

[@jasonemryss]

2 nihilistic intellectuals discussing "purpose" is NOT Suppose to be funny?

[@malayangrago5628]

There is nothing behind, nothing in front, so why should there be anything now? Anything else is just foolery.

[@3r2w1c]

You're opinions will disappear when the truth appears. So much nonsense!

[@cerimite7674]

Consciousness gives us a meaning for humans.

[@bozo5632]

Consciousness is for finding food, mating, avoiding falling off cliffs. The rest of what it can do is incidental and mostly trouble.

[@VinayakVidhyasagar]

To become an atheist I have taken time ,but pls give us a chance to prove time is not real!! Its fake!!

[@charleswood2182]

That the moral arc of the universe is long but bends toward justice.

[@bradmodd7856]

The universe is cold, unfeeling and meaningless....but not all of it

[@brushbros]

For what purpose do other organisms than humans struggle to stay alive?

[@cchang950141]

The purpose of life is there is a being who keeps thinking the purpose of life.

[@TheGuiltsOfUs]

All things are ultimately nothing

[@christyme6395]

Agreed, everything is nothing until we define it as something. To me the device I'm using to type this is a keyboard. To my dog sitting next to me it's not a keyboard. It's not anything because she has never thought to define what it is. We define things based on our imperfect understanding of things as well as the images our eyes pick up and anything we get from our other four senses. Nothing is anything until it is defined and something that has been defined can become something else if we all agree to it. For instance a tribe of people who have never had contact with the outside world would define the keyboard differently than you or I would. Who knows what perimeters they would assign to it.

[@moses777exodus]

The concept of "Nothing" represented by the number "0" (zero) did not exist in the beginning. The number "0" (zero) is a relatively recent human innovation in mathematics. But, there has always been "1" (one). The fact that one (1) exists and can generate the position/concept of "nothing" (0) shows that there first exists one (1). Thus, nothing (0) does not truly exist alone: One (1) must first exist that can generate the position/concept of nothing (0). Mathematically, Absolute nothing "could be" expressed as 0 to the power of 0, which can equal 1. "Nothing" IS "Something"; because, it comes from "Something". Moreover, since Nothing (perceived) is not Nothing (actual), then it is possible for Something to come from Nothing (actual). Because, Something (1) is inherently pre-existing within Nothing (actual), hence, 0 to the power of 0 can equal 1. Simply put, Something (1) exists before Nothing (0) can exist. In the beginning, there was singularity (1).

[@Frip36]

This was ok. Too much time wasted talking past one another for the first half. Julian: "I don't know who these people are." That shows either the interviewer didn't lead him well enough, or Julian didn't catch the drift soon enough.

[@bsands116]

''we know truth exists, because we know liars exist.'' -Michael Parenti and comrades

[@ME-lf7by]

Ultimate reality: evolution Our purpose: to evolve

[@GeertKok]

Into what?

[@ManiBalajiC]

@@GeertKok reproduce for your species, there is no other ultimate purpose. Human time period in the universe is not even a blip, you are just surviving the time period till a another massive existential event.

[@arkeusalexander9054]

Evolution ? It sounds meaningless from an individual perspective...

[@guillermochavez2515]

@@GeertKok To homo deus

[@Nonconceptuality]

@@GeertKok Back to the remembering you are God. Evolve out of the cycle of Samsara

[@MrSanford65]

I think the meaning to life is to suffer, then learn to endure suffering by overcoming it with idealism . For if this wasn’t true, we wouldn’t suffer at all. Suffering is actually built into the design of the flesh and that couldn’t be an accident. I think for the atheist the meaning of life is to oppose the theist or any form of religious guilt. Also another existential meaning for the secular/ atheist Perhaps , is to simply escape the present moment…..

[@xspotbox4400]

Enjoy your suffering than, rest of us found different solutions for that problem, and we're not affected by your pain.

[@MrSanford65]

@@xspotbox4400 I think everybody who enjoys life suffers the most Because they can’t tell the difference between what they want and what they need. And soon what they need becomes less and less of a priority until they are consumed by the pursuit of enjoyment, and sometimes find themselves hanging at the end of a rope. You’re better off securing a balanced repetitious life…..

[@xspotbox4400]

@@MrSanford65 Nah, rich and powerful people don't have nearly as many problems, they have our money, can pay for everything they need, including love and trusty consultant. They understand health is the most important issue, so they pay best doctors to advise them and monitor their body functions. There's always somebody proven expert who can guide them through new adventures and excitements, everybody tries to do their best when serving rich people because they get rewarded for job well done and satisfaction guarantied. You shouldn't confuse normal person with suicidal maniacs or careless idiots who manage to eliminate themselves from a gene pool, regardless of their favorable positions in civilized social sphere, those are very few. You wouldn't believe how beautiful, long and enriched experience life can be, but only for those who can afford all of it.

[@MrSanford65]

@@xspotbox4400 My point is that any fulfillment of life has to come with a transcendence of suffering which is a foundation which life in which the flesh rests on . I’ve been to a country in the Middle East where to our American eyes everybody is suffering. Cities like Tikrit , Bayji, parts of Baghdad- The components of suffering and poverty are the template of daily life. But religion is always the most powerful in poor areas because the fulfillment of life rather than what we would call “ Enjoyment “ is the art of transcending suffering with Idealism. I work in a poor section of Kensington as a mailman and I run into many homeless people every day, some of them actually making money doing our jobs- but I can guarantee that all of them would rather be homeless on the street with the sense of overcoming suffering through Iidealism of companionship rather than what you would call “enjoying” life. You couldn’t give them a house if you tried

[@xspotbox4400]

@@MrSanford65 Ah, no, healthy individuals don't need to suffer, could be unavoidable sometimes, but doesn't need to last and can be prevented. Religion doesn't help, can make things much worse because people can't do creative thinking and perform when they're being brainwashed. I do understand individual has little or no effect on society, but then it is so much more important to avoid indoctrination and find a good community. Home is home, regardless of politics and current events. One thing i've learned, people get used to good stuff immediately, but will struggle with harmful influences for a very long time if they must. Many times homelessness is a form of punishment in the west, nobody is born on the streets, so everybody had a place they could call their own. Why people can't return to that place, what happened to their home, how could they lose their home and not get another one in return, that's another story. I prefer to stay away from ideology, this people are most often full of crap, they make you feel nice, but never actually help, most often they're too dumb to understand the larger picture, and they don't want people to go away. All they care about is their tribal traditions and rituals, things that connect them around the same abominate ideology. Any individual nail that sticks out will be hammered down. So screw that, don't listen to what they say, think about what they actually do.

[@ixmix]

There's no ultimate Reality, All realities are relative.

[@caricue]

Meaning and purpose are human concepts. How could an unthinking universe provide you with either?

[@S3RAVA3LM]

Always enjoy seeing your comments. Activating the right brain hemisphere effects the conclusion of this question.

[@chrisc1257]

The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

[@ericmichel3857]

But an "unthinking universe" produced you. You believe that says nothing about the universe, or you for that matter?

[@Epoch11]

Meaning and purpose are human concepts but whether the universe is unthinking or unconscious I still consider an open question. The universe is composed of 95% of things we don't understand, perhaps even more than that. The bosons and fermions / stuff that makes up the universe is just a tiny bit of what it is. Some questions I think human beings may never answer but living with the mystery can also be interesting and exciting.

[@caricue]

@@ericmichel3857 It is a puzzlement. Evolution is the best explanation we have as of now. Maybe it's the use of that word "produced" that is confusing. In our human lexicon, produced usually implies intention or a goal. If I say that intelligent creatures emerged from the chaotic interplay of forces in a mindless universe, it doesn't sound so mysterious.

[@cvsree]

Reality is consciousness. Everything else that consciousness experiences is unreal , like a dream.

[@haridevv.s8502]

Hmm..maybe you are right...but there is no way to prove it 🤔

[@cvsree]

@@haridevv.s8502 yes , yoga scriptures say that it cannot be proven, just be experienced. We are already that reality but, imagine that we are ego

[@josephbrindley6038]

Ultimate Reality was never discussed!

[@ingenuity168]

The meaning of life is different for everyone.