Draft:Bernardo Kastrup

Bernardo Kastrup (born May 3, 1974) is a Dutch philosopher and computer scientist known for his work in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and consciousness studies. He is a prominent advocate for the philosophical view known as "analytic idealism," which posits that reality is fundamentally mental.

Early Life and Education

Bernardo Kastrup was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He pursued a degree in electrical engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) in Brazil. He later obtained a Ph.D. in computer engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, where he specialized in reconfigurable computing and artificial intelligence. Additionally, Kastrup holds a Ph.D. in philosophy with a focus on ontology and the philosophy of mind.

Career

Kastrup began his career as a scientist at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, where he contributed to the design of computing systems for high-energy physics experiments. He has also worked in various roles within the technology industry, including senior positions at Philips Research and ASML.

Philosophical Work

Kastrup's philosophical work is primarily focused on the nature of consciousness and reality. He is known for his defense of analytic idealism, a modern adaptation of the idealist tradition, which argues that reality is essentially mental and that the physical world is an emergent phenomenon of consciousness.

Kastrup has written extensively on the limitations of physicalism and materialism, proposing that consciousness is the fundamental substrate of the universe. His ideas challenge mainstream views in both philosophy and science, advocating for a paradigm shift towards a consciousness-based understanding of reality.

Publications

Bernardo Kastrup is the author of several books and numerous academic papers. His notable books include:

• Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There is No Death and Fathom Answers to Life, the Universe, and Everything (2014)
• More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth And Belief (2016)
• The Idea of the World: A Multi-Disciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality (2019)
• Decoding Schopenhauer's Metaphysics (2020)
• The Nature of Consciousness: Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter (2022)

Kastrup's work has been featured in various academic journals and conferences, and he is a frequent speaker on topics related to consciousness and philosophy. He has also published articles in magazines such as Scientific American, including:

• "Transcending the Brain: Why the Mind Is Not the Brain", Scientific American (2017)
• "Consciousness Is the Collapse of the Wave Function", Scientific American (2018)
• "The Universe in Consciousness", Scientific American (2019)

Media and Public Engagement

Bernardo Kastrup is an active public intellectual, regularly contributing to debates on consciousness and philosophy through blogs, podcasts, and interviews. He has appeared on several popular podcasts and YouTube channels, where he discusses his ideas and engages with both supporters and critics. He is the executive director of the Essentia Foundation, which supports research and dissemination of ideas related to metaphysical idealism.

External Links

• Official Website
• Essentia Foundation on YouTube

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References

1. Bernardo Kastrup's Official Biography
2. Kastrup, B. (2019). "The Idea of the World: A Multi-Disciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality"
3. Eindhoven University of Technology Alumni Records
4. CERN Contributions
5. Kastrup, B. (2017). "Transcending the Brain: Why the Mind Is Not the Brain". Scientific American.
6. Kastrup, B. (2018). "Consciousness Is the Collapse of the Wave Function". Scientific American.
7. Kastrup, B. (2019). "The Universe in Consciousness". Scientific American.