Philosopher Reflects on Death, Atheism, Morality & Meaning | Alex O’Connor

[@TwoGraves284]

I'm so glad Alex O'Connor is finally being referred to as a Philosopher. Let's not kid ourselves, that's exactly what he is.

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

Correct. And he is not a physicist.

[@arnoldvezbon6131]

He is an idiot.

[@FinnA07]

@@BobSmith-lb9nc ?😂

[@Knytz]

hahahaahah@@BobSmith-lb9nc

[@mism847]

@@BobSmith-lb9nc He is also not a delivery boy or a truck driver. Imagine that...

[@NeutralMjolkHotel]

Love this interview streak Alex is on currently. I swear I’ve heard him talk about ethical emotivism, theory of knowledge, and death denialism 1000 times in the past month but it’s always captivating and thought-provoking.

[@AtticusHimself]

he's cosplaying sam harris a bit too hard here, really mimicking his mannerisms a lot ever since he sat down with him. cute to see

[@treybonnot5448]

​@AnthoniePerez.94He doesn't really strike me as someone trying to disprove God, I think he's in a similar camp to my own, where I would love God to exist, and I appreciate spirituality and spiritual experience, but there are inexcusable reasons why every explanation of God I've heard can't possibly be right, so I continue to look at both sides of it just trying to find some reason to put my faith in something other than myself and people I trust, but I can't.

[@Zinniavoldigod]

What I really love about Alex is the fact that he can spit out soo much wisdom when he speak while still can maintained to speak it out soo eloquently without even a bit of stutter. And he just 24. Wonder how great his mind can be in the next in the next 15- 20 years. Keep going on growing Alex. Our society need great thinker like you. 🎉🎉

[@BUDDYCB4]

I agree with your sentiments. I remember following him on KZbin several years ago, when he was still in his teens, and even then he was borderline brilliant.

[@ThaRiddler25]

I can’t imagine how devastated I’d be if Alex dies young. The needs his brilliance.

[@ruinofthegods4107]

He is a smart man, but the implications of his metaethical stance, if taken to its logical conclusion, would obliterate knowledge, morality, and civilization.

[@thienyetan2035]

@@ruinofthegods4107 i have a feeling he is just baiting us to disprove him, by deliberately expanding on these ideas. Doubt does indeed destroys and rebuild what was considered "trash". If any of us head on clashes with him(assuming we are completely able) it would be his gain. It is just like christianity vs secularism, or "all philosophy is a footnote to plato" sort of thing is already in place. I would entertain his ideas, but i would not have the notion of going up to him, I guess he already is working his way both ways.

[@whoaitstiger]

I love how legitimately deadpan hilarious some of the stuff Alex says is, especially these comically violent thought experiments.

[@NeutralMjolkHotel]

The thought of Alex walking into an operating theatre and crushing the brain of a patient on death’s doorstep. Not an image I was expecting to imagine.

[@whoaitstiger]

@@NeutralMjolkHotel😂

[@masterdreamer1858]

Comic Skeptic

[@lauraj8429]

"I trust that you haven't poisoned me" LOL

[@EggSandwich-pv9qd]

​@@lauraj8429When he said that I imagined him falling to the ground as andre villainously snickers while he holds up a bottle with a picture of a skull on it, revealing to the audience that he did indeed, poison his tea.

[@jillaroo258]

Around 32-34 minutes, Alex pointing out that the “bearded man in the sky” image of God is not an accurate reflection of how religious people view God- this is what I love about him! There’s so much integrity in the way he approaches these conversations; he will not allow a glimmer of a straw man to slip in.

[@Pottedplants17]

If you're shilling athletic greens, integrity is in jeopardy.

[@ApPersonaNonGrata]

He's wrong though. Now, if he had said "that's not how *all* theists view their god", that would be such an obvious truth that it would be pointless to bother saying it. If he had said "that's not how the original bible-story authors saw their gods", he would have simply been wrong. [See Francesca Stavrakopoulou's book "God: An Anatomy"] Their gods, including Yahweh after they finished making him (from scavenged parts of older dead gods) in their imaginary Build-A-God Workshop, ... were entirely physical entities. The alpha-masculine gods like Yahweh did often have beards, and they did live in the sky. Many readers pick up on that, very accurately. Thus, many readers have adopted that idea of "Him". However, more modern and "sophisticated" readers have realized how silly and how vulnerable (to criticism) that view of "God" is. And so they converted those descriptors over into metaphors, and then pretended that was always what those texts meant. I'm honestly embarrassed for Alex that he doesn't realize this.

[@whiplashTM]

@@ApPersonaNonGrata "He's wrong though. " = "I believe he's wrong though". I would give you some counter examples from both believers and non-believers - but rather give you some material to read. Jan Patocka, a non-believer (maybe agnostic) writes profoundly on the "creation" of a God from early socratic and presocratic belief in "gods" and how it was the ground and beginning of Christianity. He summarizes that the early "gods" is nothing like God in Christianity. If you've ever read C.S. Lewis, Soren Kirkegaard or Thomas Aquinas, you'd see that they never talk about a man with a beard in the sky... I believe you're wrong in your assessment of this topic, and what Alex is saying is correct.

[@ApPersonaNonGrata]

@@whiplashTM You and I are not even having the same conversation. I merely pointed out that a greaty many theists (including many who have identified as Christian) have thought (and still today think) of their diety as an old man who lives somewhere "up". All you've done is point out that some people had different conceptualizations; which I already said in my initial post. It would be like if: 1. Alex had said "nobody ever thought angels had literal wings, with feathers and such", and then 2. someone pointing out "some people actually have thought of angels in that way", and then 3. you showing up to say "I can prove some people did NOT think of angels that way".

[@whiplashTM]

@@ApPersonaNonGrata I also pointed out that it was commonly to think of some diety as an old man who lives "up" there - but that at the core of (atleast) Christianity, this is not the case. The point of the different people mentioned, was that they don't have different conceptualizations of God - both believers and non-believers - but of course as you said, some people might still believe in a man up there. There's some semantic truth to what you're saying - but how does it add anything valuable to the comment you initial commented on - also to what Alex is saying about different atheist circles constructing these narratives (a man in the sky) to strengthen their world view? To understand that I would need to know your underlying intentions, and what you're trying to prove?

[@JJBerthume]

Never expected you'd have him on here, been a fan of both of y'all for years!!

[@GospodinStanoje]

I've listened all of the recent podcasts Alex has been visiting, but I would say this was the most interesting. The consciousness part from around 55m until 1h 10m was fascinating and thought-provoking. Thank you to both.

[@juancruzlives]

I have grown tired of every youtuber. But Alex is a different case; he is really really interesting and pleasing to hear. I admire the way he presents his ideas

[@dimitrishow_D]

Nah he a hippie douche fake..I'm sooo enlightened...lol

[@icecream3281]

He and sabine hossenfelder are my top 2

[@tamiaj851]

Such an interesting conversation! Only half way through watching and thoroughly enjoying the collision of logic and intuition from both Alex & André. Another safe, wholesomely curious and joyful container held for learning, growth, healing and expansion 🤍Thank you for the myriad of lenses you bless us with the opportunity to see from!

[@OldEnglandCathedral]

That zoom out shot was wild, I did not expect the homie set on the chair yoga style

[@George-FG77]

As a Christian, I am proud of Alex. I used to hate him as a fanatic. But I've outgrown my previous condition. I'm more of an agnostic now. Good job, friend Alex. You are a philosopher.

[@jamespersky8828]

Are you christian? Or Agnostic?

[@SharedPhilosophy]

When Alex is talking about the urgency we should have when it comes to life, I completely agree and I actually am experiencing something like that currently. I'm going to be graduating soon out of high school and I remember when I was in middle school and thought that senior year is so far away and it'll be forever and now I'm about to graduate in 4 months and I'm realizing how much I took for granted. I've become much more grateful of being in the school and I've been using my resources within school much more like talking to my teachers or meeting new students. I have this sense of urgency to get better grades and do as much as I can and experience as much as I can before I leave this school as a student forever. There will never be a time in my life ever again when I'll be able to experience being a high schooler the way I am now.

[@falsevacuum4667]

You're doing well just thinking this way at your age. Most people don't realize this when they're 18. More like 30 they finally get it.

[@Jonny-wt3rg]

30? People don't get shit their whole lives. I know dozens of 40+ yo people that haven't had a deep thought thier entire lives. I, too, used to think adults understand certain things in life. Adults are just still lost todlers that haven't learned anything

[@lemonhaze1506]

@@Jonny-wt3rg From your generalization of adults I think you're one of those who haven't had a deep thought 'thier' entire lives

[@theboombody]

@@lemonhaze1506 He's right though. A lot of adults just go to work and party.

[@theboombody]

Atheism's only rule is that God doesn't exist. That's the one rule. So if someone wants to waste their life and never make the most of it, how would it be against any atheistic dogma? It wouldn't be. It's their choice.

[@IsaacAsimov1992]

Alex is on the top rung of my Great KZbin Discoveries ladder.

[@y5mgisi]

I'm 37. I'm much different now than when I was 27. I have high hopes that Alex will have even more great thoughts as he gets older. Great interview.

[@jamesdettmann94]

He'll be known as Alexander the Great.

[@BUDDYCB4]

I think your hopes will be proved correct in time.

[@dodumichalcevski]

Lets meet here every year and discuss his growth

[@azuma_ayame]

Knowledge is acquired information while wisdom is applicable knowledge or the ability to use what is known accurately & appropriately. Loved this discussion ❤

[@somescuffedkid]

Alex has the potential to go down in history as a legendary philosopher. He’s certainly on the path of it, I hope he doesn’t stray away from his pursuit of truths in favor of fame and fortune

[@mokeboi3328]

Great chat. Alex is streets above all other philospohers. He is holds his great interlect with humilty and grace.

[@jenniferjoyner112]

I would agree

[@VanessaHall-q1b]

The editing here is seamless. Love how it all comes together!

[@nicoladisvevia]

I'm glad to hear that Alex is getting away from the limited intellectual approach to reality that seemed to be so dominant and is beginning to appreciate the value and mystery of conscious experience.

[@warbler1984]

Damn that's spooky as hell...

[@andrearenee7845]

So grateful you both have met... And for letting us in to experience it. Thanks, man. It's coming to the table, and breaking bread with a friend.

[@JHeb_]

Alex, I wish you would make content on the philosophy of consciousness. This is a really interesting topic.

[@smilloww2095]

He has a few podcast epidsodes on this topic. At least 2.

[@AliciatheCho]

I’d be interested in Alex’s take on Jung in terms of religion. Whether religion is true literally or not doesn’t negate that people have an innate desire to revere that which we feel greater than ourselves.

[@DahshonPugh-iq1bd]

This is amazingly insightful. I felt wisdom and electricity from the compassion and kindness here. Thanks for the information; Super informative and inspiring.

[@IsaacAsimov1992]

Lovely heartwarming comment.

[@thezieg]

Outstanding work interviewing one of our better exponents of the Internet.

[@marishasveganworld2240]

Love the conversation! I’ve been following Alex for so long and I am always really excited for videos like this, thank you! 🖤

[@Snuni93]

It's insane how the vegan community had Alex O'Connor fighting passionately for their cause, and then just casually dropped him like hot garbage the second he had to take care of his own health... Mind-blowing

[@monikasmithsonian2985]

It is a little bit complicated no? Like many people actually supported him (most notably unnatural vegan) and as a vegan myself I still watch all his stuff

[@harshshinde176]

What happened

[@adne4336]

There isn’t really such a thing as a vegan community. I would say that I’m personally unable to judge him since I don’t know his reasoning nor personal struggles, however i would say that I’m quite unsatisfied that he hasn’t given any proper reasoning

[@LittleMAC78]

From a non academic standpoint, having read non of the literature on the subject, it seems fairly intuitive to me that our primary drive is one of self preservation (with added pursuit of pleasure whenever possible). To my mind, morality, tribalism (collaboration to ensure individual survival which leads to the need to protect each other to ensure that continued collaboration) and fear of death (the inescapable end to that preservation) can all be explained as extensions of this concept. As I mentioned, I'm a non academic so I am quite happy for somebody to explain where I'm going wrong with that basic outlook of the questions posed.

[@zootsoot2006]

What about people who do the s word?

[@LittleMAC78]

@@zootsoot2006 which S word?

[@zootsoot2006]

Unaliving yourself@@LittleMAC78

[@russ4moose]

33:10 Thank you, Mr. O'Connor. You really give me some hope.

[@hggnb-x3b]

This content is gold. Thank you for putting this out here!

[@GulabKhan-e9z]

This performance gave me goosebumps. Incredible talent!

[@skepticalbutopen4620]

When I see a video with Alex, I know it’s going to be an interesting conversation.

[@ExistenceUniversity]

I feel very sorry for you

[@skepticalbutopen4620]

@@ExistenceUniversity get help.

[@ExistenceUniversity]

@@skepticalbutopen4620 Says the guy that thinks Alex is interesting or smart. You need help if materialism with an immaterial consciousness makes any sense.

[@Kai_Theos_en_ho_Logos]

32:00-34 As a Christian myself, one of the more refreshing things about Alex is that he has the influence to check others about the false perception that others hold about the faith beliefs and practices of theists. I appreciate his unwavering honesty and integrity.

[@KHitten88]

Most of the time it’s hard for me to take in what Alex talks about- I feel like it’s so over my head. Regardless I could listen to him talk all day.

[@ExistenceUniversity]

He is stupid. It didn't go over your head, it never made sense

[@JohannaPatterson-w3p]

You have a knack for storytelling. Well done! 🎥

[@fgbv-l7h]

The way you explained this made it so easy to understand. 🧠

[@juzChill4Fun]

52:10 leaving this timestamp here so i can rmb it :) beautiful conversation

[@MrMurph73]

Love this. Im DYING to see the podcast episode between Alex and Sam Harris

[@whoaitstiger]

I would love to see him with either Sam Harris or Bernado Kastrup.

[@GrandpaOnATunedScooter]

It wouldn't last long or it would and make zero sense

[@davidalanmors3233]

Thank you for another fascinating talk to process and in which to find wisdom.

[@epasato]

One thought about the interaction problem - the fact that if you change the brain, you change your experience of consciousness (whether through injury, drugs, electrical stimulation, etc) - one counterargument to this being a counterargument is that the brain could be more like an antenna than a jar. Rather than consciousness being "in" the brain, consciousness could potentially be out there in the entire universe, and our brains are simply antennae that pick up a certain wavelength / frequency. So certainly materialism is real there is the sense that the antennae has to be working to receive the signal, and damage to the antennae or a rewiring of it would mean the signal would be received in a different manner - but it doesn't necessarily mean that the signal itself comes from the brain.

[@oumargx]

Wow, that terminal diagnosis thought experiment at the end was powerful to say the least! Good stuff Alex!

[@brazilianyogini]

Great convo 👍🏻 Ive never known another definition between knowledge and wisdom but that knowledge is acquired through theory and wisdom is acquired through experience.

[@MourningCoffeeMusic]

Wild ! I used to watch Alex’s channel all the time back in the 2010’s during my atheism arc. Incredibly insightful conversation 😌

[@GospodinStanoje]

Me too! He is one of the best speakers and philosophers in the world in my opinion. Quick question - You said "during my atheism arc.", are you still an atheist?

[@donaldmcronald8989]

A clever man can get himself out of the situations that a wise man never finds himself within.

[@GinoNL]

Alex is one of the to-be famous philosophers of our time

[@arnoldvezbon6131]

Yes satan will raise his minions to the top lol.

[@GrandpaOnATunedScooter]

Because he believes in the possibility of a god as a caveat to living a moral life

[@arnoldvezbon6131]

@@GrandpaOnATunedScooter there is no such thing as a moral life without God.

[@3xrcodm]

​@@arnoldvezbon6131 There is a moral life without God. If you believe in Objective morality, why? Because it is nonsense if you ask me. All of the people in this world only based on their subjective morality. Even religious people do it even if they claim to "follow" the teachings of God because all people have different interpretations of his teachings. For me, conscience, introspection, and having the knowledge to know and be skeptic about what is right or wrong is one of the possible answer. Having your own moral code and always doing what is right is better than being a "good person" just because we're scared of the unknown being such as God.

[@arnoldvezbon6131]

@@3xrcodm Nonsense. If morality is not objective there is no morality. It seems atheist can't even understand what morality is. Always trying to go in to nonsensical pseudo intellectual self delusion in order to justify their immoral positions such as human sacrifice in abortions and theft in their promotion of socialism and fornication by constantly consuming porn. Back to bed son.

[@JanetWilson-m6r]

I was so lost until I watched your video. Thank you!

[@VanessaHall-q1b]

The vibe here is just *chef's kiss* 🔥

[@devinl8487]

It's the application of your knowledge. Maya Angelou said something like, 'when you know better, you do better' but some people can learn something but choose not to change, especially if they don't think it's better.

[@lingonberry6500]

15:15 I think these are called thought experiments. I really enjoy it. After finding out the truth about Jesus and believing on Him and plenty of personal experiences. I have peace that passes all understanding. I still do these experiments sometimes but my purpose for them has changed.

[@Sandra_D.9]

I find it incredible the contrast between reason and belief or in other words, thinkers vs believers, it’s like something that’s never gonna happen.. it’s not just one motive vs one belief, I’m talking about the whole mindset

[@JackieJiddo]

The mind of a philosopher never looses its hunger, but maybe it's more like a dog chasing its tail than a problem solving enquiry.. All the love though 💚

[@96lucasb]

Haha good one. Materialist philsophers surely this is true

[@SuperChimcham]

I think it’s more like- the dog thinks of and tries different ways to catch his tail even though it’s impossible.

[@exaucemayunga22]

It's better than believing that the tail is a device created by aliens and they'll torture the dog if it didn't cath the tail.

[@aaronclarke1434]

Philosophy is the art of dead ends and going around in circles.

[@jesterc.6763]

.​@exaucemayunga22 I love this answer.

[@gabri41200]

Particularly, i don't feel the urge to make any long-lasting impact in the world. For me, a good life is one in which i can experience interesting experiences while feeling the least amount of pain. Though some pain can be a very interesting experience. I recognize that once we die, our consciousness no longer exists, but i don't feel the rush to travel the world or make some great contributions to society. I feel like just living a nice life is enough.

[@exaucemayunga22]

I think the fear of death and the uncertainty of what comes after it is what started religion.

[@UncleDiogenes]

Terror management theory would agree but I recommend you look up Animism, it helps people conceptualize the origins of spirituality.

[@lauraj8429]

16:00 I put on an atheist hat as a christian, and now I'm an atheist. Glad I looked at things critically

[@anne20238]

Against utilitarianism: “you cannot judge any artefact except by using it as it was intended. It is no good judging a butter-knife by seeing whether it will saw logs.” (C.S. Lewis, ‘Christianity and Culture’). I believe that that green tea is not poisoned not only because of my background knowledge but also because I tasted it and lived. As in Christianity: a Chistian believes not only because of rational or historical proofs, but also because he tasted Life and now he truly lives. “We associate the natural side of our nature with the unethical side of our nature so it shouldn't be a problem to recognise that this is an unavoidable part of our biology because without that to fight against ethics wouldn't even be worth doing, there wouldn't be any need for ethics if it didn't somehow subvert we wanted to do anyway. So of course, anything we think is ethically worthwhile is going to have to be achieved in in the face of a strong inclination to do the opposite.” - if ethics is expression of emotion, what is the origin of ‘the unethical side of our nature’? What if my emotional preferences does not enter into contradiction with my ‘unethical side of our nature’? The ground for a system of values cannot be found in any appeal to emotion. “. The Chest-Magnanimity-Sentiment- these are the indispensable liaison officers between cerebral man and visceral man. It may even be said that it is by this middle element that man is man: for by his intellect he is mere spirit and by his appetite mere animal.” (Lewis, The Abolition of Man) everything ends in night (Boewulf knew it) - your Ego’s desires, the fame and all realisations. Ego must dies so that your true Self (in God) truly live

[@tonygoodkind7858]

1. How is that quote "against" utilitarianism? 2. After drinking, sure. But then you're comparing it to Christianity. * We don't have evidence Christianity changes lives (more than any similarly-impactful idea, like every other religion) * We don't have evidence Christianity causes _better_ lives. (On several topics, we have evidence theists are _worst._ Less moral, etc. And sure, on a few topics like lifespan and community, theists do better.) * We don't have evidence of any meaningful relationship with an all-knowing being. (And let's face it "all-knowing" means we'd expect some absolutely amazing insights from people in a relation with such a being, yeah?) 3. Freud's "parts of the mind" is an oversimplification, but that's what explains your second quote: that different parts of the brain have different functions, different impulses, and "management" sides of the brain designed to avoid going to jail because you didn't resist the urge to push the person off the cliff.

[@ha.alamin]

I've heard Alex point out a few times now that we check ethical theories against our intuitions and compare how we don't do this with mathematics or logic (his calculator example). But we do. All the time. We have basic intuitions that we check our theories against in all endeavours.

[@larolddunahey]

I'm glad to see Alex on here. I've been "following" him for many years... from back when I used to debate him in my head as a fairly fundamentalist Christian, to now as I pursue a more fluid and meaningful spiritual path. Alex's mind has been opened considerably over the years, and conversations like this will propel him further. I agree with another commenter on this video...Alex is more spiritually advanced than he probably knows, and strangely closer to God than many religious people.

[@exaucemayunga22]

If God was real, I think he would reward people like him instead of religious people guided by ignorance and wishful thinking.

[@larolddunahey]

@@exaucemayunga22 God rewards those who seek him. AKA they have an open mind and a willingness to know absolute Truth. Alex is definitely further along in this direction that many religious folks. And btw...God isn't real...He is reality. It just so happens that reality itself is intelligent and capable of relationship...with itself. But the only way to KNOW that is complete openness, vulnerability, and surrender.

[@BubbaF0wpend]

​@@larolddunahey do you think Alex doesn't fit that category? He's told of the lengths he's gone to to seek god, and... nothing. And yet, we are told all the time stories where god reveals himself to those that aren't even seeking. It even happens in the bible. Strange.

[@Zazacollector]

Supposed to be closer to god yet so far away, you should listen to Alex talking about divine hiddenness.

[@Anubis424242]

Depends on the god you're talking about. I'm willing to bet that if there is a god, they're a psychopath, in which case, Alex is leagues better than this demiurge that dumped this existence on us. Maybe if Alex celebrated animals eating each other alive in the wild, and endorsed slavery, then he would be very "close to God".

[@Soint]

looking forward of you both getting more in depth about ethics in animal suffering and rights

[@montanajace]

Surprised! Found Alex in my atheist era, and found this podcast in my new spiritual era. Interested to hear how these ways of looking at life intermingle. Thankful this exists!

[@ck58npj72]

There is no future in Spiritualism, focus on ur direction, get good at it, and charge money for ur services.

[@stormtrooper40]

@@ck58npj72 least weird sounding materialist

[@nathanmiller9918]

What leads you towards spiritualism?

[@zencat17]

Refreshing conversation, philo's Sophia meets minds willing to lay it all out neutrally on the table. I see wisdom as the embodiment of the insights/knowledge obtained, without the embodiment, knowledge is just a set of facts that are not 'lived' to their fullness.

[@AhmadSammy]

I love Alex so much

[@economichitman]

Everyone put your mind energy into giving this man the personal experience of the creator he wants. ❤

[@RobotProctor]

I think wisdom is something like the sorts of knowledge that cannot be acquired alone by an individual within a single lifetime. It's the kind of knowledge acquired through many conversations between many people, over many lifetimes.

[@ck58npj72]

wrong, acquire by conversation, ffs

[@kalaysia77]

Excellent! So much to think about…. I must listen again 🤓

[@danzwku]

7:15 maybe it's less about actually creating the meaning intrinsically, but creating the narrative we tell ourselves 24:50 practical and experienced knowledge

[@NeutralMjolkHotel]

Alex I know I’m not entitled to the insight, but I would really really like to hear some more in-depth thoughts on your current stance on veganism. I think it would mean a lot to many. Are you still leaning plant-based when easily achievable? Where do you think the ethical obligation sits now? Love your way of articulation so I’m sure many would be interested.

[@archangelarielle262]

He wouldn't have an in-depth thought, other than hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance.

[@experty84]

this!

[@tobiasyoder]

@@archangelarielle262he’s a non cognitivist so anything goes…

[@n.c.1201]

I am so glad they brought up the topic of how being critical sucks the joy out of life.... I have been on the worst 10 years of my life: Living years with my husband feeling cheated on, raising a baby, then trying to fix my marriage by saying I'd attend a church, watched and learned for years how crazy the baptists are and how crappy the Bible is, pursuing videos like Dr. Jordan Peterson to feel better and also diving into secular Bible studies and philosophical discussions. Holy shit. I am miserable... That piece they discuss where you need to ACT is so much easier said than done. I need to back off so much knowledge and live materially- live with what I have and use what I have gained. Goodness gracious: note to self, focus on the 10 year old. Balance in life is key... whatever that looks like 😅

[@cdespejo]

Great interview!

[@LuisPedro9]

Sadly Alex passad away from poisoning… RIP 🪦 🕊️🕊️

[@versatile4444]

Great conversation Andre. please invite Bernardo Kastrup

[@stranger2Utube]

Great one André!

[@jeremy939]

Perception is not the same thing as a perceiver. You can poke the brain and change perception but there is still a perceiver to experience it. You can shut off the perception (coma) but you can't remove the perceiver until death.

[@shaggysbiggestfan6750]

question for alex: couldn't the opposite be possible? you are so aware of your own mortality and how you could die at any time, so much so that it generates a perpetual anxiety that causes you to stop having experiences you would otherwise do? couldn't the suppression or subconscious fear also be a part of our evolution?

[@JordanMillsTracks]

Used to be all in on the materialistic brain/mind world view but ever since seeing phillip goff on alex's podcast, the bit about picturing the colour red in your mind but not finding that experience physically in the brain (demonstrated with a triangle in this podcast), I had to instantly re-evaluate how i think about it (plus a few acid ego death experiences also had a bit of an impact haha), these days I'm leaning towards the idea that the concious experience itself has to be some kind of underlying fundamental part of reality

[@slopedarmor]

Ill bet u can find the experience of red physically in the brain.

[@ahmetsaidalkur50]

@@slopedarmor i bet he would answer with then show me, that argument purely depends on intuition and ignorance

[@x2mars]

Excellent audio!

[@Conspexit]

Alex o Connor is definitely the smartest person on the internet

[@TheHunt-t8o]

I hate fan-boying like that and never have before but I am continually more and more impressed with him. Been listening to him for about 2 years now and have literally consumed every piece of content he’s put out and has been put out with him… and my god man, he operates on a completely different level. He converses with the absolute best of the best minds in their fields and can match them and often times out maneuver them. It’s actually bizarre and amazing to me someone like Alex exists. Makes me embarrassingly jealous that no amount of school or experience would ever bring me to par.

[@ck58npj72]

we are all on the internet, but I'm stupid@@TheHunt-t8o

[@chipkyle5428]

So here's a thought experiment, Alex: Close your eyes. Breathe in deeply and exhale. That breath, the breath you took before it, and every breath you will ever take is because your ancestors were successfully tribal and carnivorous. But be not embarrassed. My reality and yours is personal, proximal, and present (temporal). Born into Jim Crow, educated during the Civil Rights struggle and Vietnam, now 75 with my annual wellness appointment looming next week, I can't count the "epiphanies" I've had. I hope my internist will give me "the 20 more years bad news report" (lol), so that I may have many more breaths and profound revelations. Keep up the good work; both of you. This was a wonderful interview. I am going to watch it again!

[@saulkumpulaine5387]

I listened this in my bed for a bedtime story and founded myself sitting on my my bed with phone in my hand just listening.

[@geekexmachina]

I suspect you would have to move your hearing down as well. I think one of my ex lecturers thought it is likely that the inner ear also helps us locate the feeling of being in the brain as its a major part of the balance system. If I remember correctly the retina is classified as part of the central nervous system.

[@LegendaryMcslayer]

10:51 if we change the script here and ask what if the person is sacrificing themselves for the 5, the selfless act of taking on suffering to increase the pleasure or reduces suffering is a good thing. If the five force the one against his will this is a selfish act of forcing suffering, so selfless vs selfishness is a determining factor.

[@JohannaPatterson-w3p]

Looks like you had an amazing day! ✨

[@russellalfonso2962]

Tell a healthy 18 yo he will die is different than a doctor telling someone he has a month to live. The perceived time element is important.

[@somersetcace1]

On the issue of "Terror Management Theory." There probably is truth to that, but instead of adopting worldviews that espouse an afterlife to deal with it, I've found that simply coming to terms with it and making the most of the life I have, has worked just fine. I have X amount of time. What am I going to do with it? To borrow something from a movie, "You can get busy living, or get busy dying." I choose the former.

[@russellalfonso2962]

I'd like to hear O'Conner's defense of ethical emotivism in conversation with Singer or Standell

[@raiinxo]

I don’t agree with what he said about how if you killed someone to save five other people that it would minimize suffering. The reason I say this is because those people who are getting the organs from the man who got murdered, would eventually find out or already know that that man got murdered in order to save them. It’s not minimizing suffering, emotionally, or on a societal or overall scale.

[@julzjn5565]

Would love to see you conversate with Anna Brown :)

[@feralhamster2429]

I think the best part is “the danger of over intellectualizing”

[@matthewvaughan1532]

Fantastic conversation. For Alex, I was interested to hear about your views on AI sentience. It seemed that you were saying that we don’t do a fantastic job of giving moral value to animals, beings not like us, so we are probably going to struggle to ever do it for robots. I think we must consider that though in many ways animals are more like us than robots ever will be, on a certain intuitive level we may come to feel that robots are much more like us than animals, perhaps because they will talk back in our language but also because they will be able to ‘ape’ our responses far more convincingly than animals do. Also because of living our lives in such proximity to them. Even with animals, where we live with them, our dogs, cats etc. we are compelled to give them moral worth whilst being blind to the suffering of pigs in factory farms. Just a couple of thoughts on that 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@saraswati999]

Brilliant person thank you from inviting scholar to your channel, Alex brings logic to the table.

[@MarkSHogan]

Good is making most people happy while pushing the pile forward.

[@devinl8487]

Christians are allowed to have doubt. They give the example 'doubting Tom'. Just because he had doubt, doesn't disqualify him as a Christian. Lines are drawn, labels are given for absolutes, but I wonder if those absolutes are unnecessary or unattainable?

[@Archeidos-Arcana]

I grew out of my own atheism awhile back, but Alex an example of the kind of atheist that I have the utmost respect for.

[@BubbaF0wpend]

How does one "grow out of disbelief in god"? Do you just mean you started believing in god?

[@rishitjha9362]

@@BubbaF0wpendlmao it means that he just opted for philosophical suicide or he just could not take it anymore

[@MajesticMan-iz2wz]

​@@BubbaF0wpendIt's like saying "I walked out from outside". You walked out from "outside" in to a room. It doesn't make sense

[@Archeidos-Arcana]

@bubbafowpend9943 I mean that it was a previous philosophical perspective that ultimately did not suit me, and therefore I outgrew it, just as anyone outgrows old habits, beliefs and ways for newer modes of Being that are conducive to oneself, or grant greater clarity. When I say 'philosophical perspective' -- I'm referring to the epistemological, ontological and metaphysical foundations upon which an atheistic philosophy is supported. It would be a mistake to presume that atheism doesn't have implicit beliefs which uphold such a contextualization of 'Beingness'.

[@Archeidos-Arcana]

@@rishitjha9362 I see no valid basis for a concept as 'philosophical suicide'. There are merely people we deem 'crazy' -- and then there are crazy people who can articulate their why they believe the things they do, extraordinarily well. The latter category: we deem 'philosophers'. Remember, my friend -- pride comes before the fall.

[@stuarttusspot4769]

People who were born blind don't have visual dreams which seems to indicate that our dreams are directly linked to the material world.

[@glenliesegang233]

Yet, in some NDEs when the anoxic visual cortex is supposedly silent, vision is described, with colors. And, I recall a story of a man blind from birth, for a 24 hour period, just before he died, suddenly saw, could recognize repeatedly not by touch, but by sight alone, friends, relatives, and family. This is reminiscent of the "terminal lucidity" rarely seen in advanced DAT with regained speech, family member recognition, and conversation, despite brain imaging which should make such impossible.

[@coolbreeze5683]

This is a great conversation. I think everyone's opinion on spirituality and religion are valid since it's a very personal thing. If you believe in a higher power, you're correct and if you don't believe in a higher power, you're also correct. It's meant to be a great mystery because various view points are what make life an adventure. I've witnessed things that make me believe in spirituality and a higher power. Other people don't witness such things or if they do, they will try their hardest to find a logical explanation for it by calling it fluke or coincidence. Things aren't revealed equally to everyone in the same way because then what would be the point of living if everyone follows one known path?

[@Theactivepsychos]

Holy books are the problem. If you lock beliefs for all time in a book they become outdated and irrelevant, even downright dangerous quite quickly.

[@exaucemayunga22]

It depends on the characteristics of that higher power and the reason for believing in that higher power. Would you say that people who believed in the thunder God Zeus or Marduk were correct? Do people who believe that we're in a simulation programmed by aliens correct? I wouldn't say so.

[@douglascutler1037]

It's the effort we take to improve things that lives on. We take fire and combustion for granted. But somewhere in our distant past some proto-human took the time to think about the problem. They first noticed when they rubbed their hands hard together it got warmer just like the warmth from wild fires. Perhaps rubbing hands for warmth was a game at first, then a contest for warmest, then some experiments and trials. Perhaps some father got as far as making smoke with wood and then past the quest on to his children. But finally someone figured out how to make fire from scratch. And here we are today, their million year old efforts still benefiting our lives today.

[@mikemccarthy6719]

I'd be interested to hear more conversation of thinkers along the lines of Philippa Foot who used Aristotle's metaphysics to ground "goodness" in the nature of things. Good is what is proper to a thing as the kind of thing that it is.

[@georgerevell5643]

The mind is in the head not because the brain is there, but because the eyes that see the world from that angle, making you feel you you are directly behind where your eyes are looking at the world from, in your head.

[@maxodgaard1335]

The only real purposes I have, is to feed my son, give him good values, teach him my knowledge, and as often as possible let him know/feel he is loved. Then fulfill my own needs....sex, food, fiddle with my hobbies, have fun with friends, explore earth/cultures.... Gain wealth. Don't do to others what i Don't want others to do to me. Love and make my wife feel loved and safe, support family.... Did I miss anything?

[@Flynbourne]

Just on the topic of the imagining a triangle we can actually identify that experience through looking at brain signals. If we show someone a tree (for instance) we can now through an EEG and AI identify what that person is looking at. So we do know that seeing a tree generates an identifiable brain activity.

[@kittuojha]

when alex says that death is the ultimate motivator, I think he's missing something. I think avoiding pain is more of a motivator than avoiding death. Death is a quantitative aspect of life, you are alive 1, you are dead zero. Pain, or absence of it, is the qualitative aspect which motivates us in daily course. For example, I wouldn't hurry with anything if I were to die in a week, probably would just meet all of my loved ones and that's it. There is no magnum opus I want to leave behind to outlive me. Still I work everyday to make life better, I am still happy. This greatness seeking is more of a narcissist trait to me than the fundamental mover of life.

[@Cheximus]

It's both. Immediacy of pain and total finality of death.

[@xaviervelascosuarez]

If meaning and purpose is what moves us to action, and seeing that making up our own meaning and purpose is itself an action, what is the motivation for this first action? Isn't "you must come up with your own 'subjective' morality" itself an objectively moral imperative?

[@nathanmiller9918]

Consciously it could be as basic as attempting to continue living or possibly thriving in one's current environment. Is that an "objective" imperative?

[@xaviervelascosuarez]

@nathanmiller9918 I believe it is. It's not something that exclusively concerns the individual subject; it's clear to me that the call to conservation and care of everything entrusted to us (including one's own life) comes from outside the individual subjectivity. Furthermore, it's a call that requires the collective's participation. Thus, it's also a collective obligation of al human societies. A society that doesn't seek the best conditions for the flourishing of all human life is an immoral society.