Seeing Clearly

Christian Gonzalez

Exploring different philosophical frames for understanding what is and what we ought to do. Hosted by Christian Gonzalez. cxgonzalez.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    You are NOT a Computer with Andres Gomez Emilsson

    In this episode me and Qualia Research Institute co-founder Andres Gomez Emilsson talk about consciousness and personal identity. We talk about “the slicing problem” (an interesting reductio of computational-functionalism), the forms of consciousness deniers, the binding and boundary problems, a possible solution to the boundary problem via EM field topology, his experimental work on psychedelics, DMT entities, and the self. If you would like early access to all my future podcasts and essays, and to read full podcast transcripts, consider becoming a paid Substack subscriber: https://cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe Resources Qualia Research Institute: https://qri.org/ The Slicing Problem paper: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/opphil-2022-0225/html Don’t Forget About the Boundary Problem paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1233119/full Dr. Ogi Ogas podcast: QRI’s perfumes: https://qri.org/scents I Am You book: https://link.amazon/B00c2QUjw The Egg short story: https://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg.html Socials Andres’s X: https://x.com/algekalipso Andres’ Substack: My Socials X: http://x.com/cxgonzalez/ Substack: https://substack.com/@cxgonzalez Instagram: https://instagram.com/c.x.gonzalez TikTok: https://tiktok.com/cxgonzalez Spotify: Apple Podcasts: Time stamps 0:00 — Intro and background 4:00 — What is the Hard Problem? 5:32 — 3 classes of qualia deniers 14:06 — The problem with computationalism/functionalism 25:10 — Qualia Formalism 30:39 — The binding and boundary problems 42:23 — Consciousness and the EM field 57:47 — A solution to the boundary problem 1:08:25 — Experimental work on consciousness 1:32:00 — DMT entities 1:41:59 — Is the thalamus is the seat of the soul? 1:47:38 — The self 2:00:00 — The most pleasant perfume in the world? Transcript Christian Gonzalez (00:01:44.881): Andres Gomez-Emilson, thank you for coming on the podcast. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:01:47.643): Thank you for having me here, Christian. Christian Gonzalez (00:01:49.875): So we have a lot to go through and I’m super excited to do so. Christian Gonzalez (00:01:53.161): But before we jump right in, Christian Gonzalez (00:01:54.683): I want to get a little bit of context so that people know what you’re on about, Christian Gonzalez (00:01:57.969): what you do research on, what your special interests are. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:00.939): Yeah, yeah, so I study consciousness. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:03.221): I’ve been very curious about consciousness pretty much all my life. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:07.765): And I did a, my undergraduate was on Symbolic Systems at Stanford, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:13.810): which is essentially the equivalent of a cognitive science degree, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:17.053): which is like psychology, philosophy, computer science, primarily, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:21.156): with a little bit of linguistics in my case. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:25.549): And did a master’s in psychology. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:28.262): I’ve worked at a number of labs and also I was a software engineer in San Francisco Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:32.766): for a number of years. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:34.468): Worked as a data scientist. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:36.550): But then, yeah, decided to essentially start an organization Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:41.494): where I could actually study what I really wanted to, which is consciousness. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:46.639): Not just like, oh, working memory or cognition. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:52.399): You know, social perception, like, things that people, yeah, you know, like, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:56.542): if you say, I study consciousness, they might say, like, oh, you know, like, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:02:59.884): I also study consciousness, but, you know, it might be, like, actually, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:02.826): they’re just, you know, studying something like working memory or something like Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:05.667): that. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:06.888): I was interested in qualia. Like, I was interested in, like, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:09.029): how the brain generates a subjective experience and, you know, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:13.252): what makes an experience feel good or bad and what on earth happens Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:17.494): when you take LSD? Like, how do we make sense of that? Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:21.197): Right. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:22.438): It’s probably impossible to like contextualize what I do also without kind of like Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:27.082): the piece of information having to do with being very passionate Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:31.185): about reducing suffering and like really doing it in a systematic way, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:35.768): kind of like really taking seriously the problem of suffering. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:38.590): So like that also has been like a very, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:40.291): very important kind of like guiding light in how I approach research and my projects Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:44.614): and so on. Christian Gonzalez (00:03:45.518): Okay. So there’s like an ethical component too. Christian Gonzalez (00:03:47.059): So you’re into consciousness, Christian Gonzalez (00:03:49.021): the weird funky stuff that goes on when you do psychedelics, what’s going on there. Christian Gonzalez (00:03:53.005): And then also like, how does this connect to the more ethical questions? Correct. Christian Gonzalez (00:03:57.148): Producing suffering. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:03:58.029): Yes. Christian Gonzalez (00:03:58.369): Cool. All right. So let’s lay some groundwork. Christian Gonzalez (00:03:59.891): Yes. Christian Gonzalez (00:04:01.492): Before we get into like your specific takes on what consciousness is, Christian Gonzalez (00:04:04.375): why don’t we just start very baseline. Christian Gonzalez (00:04:06.857): What’s the hard problem of consciousness? Christian Gonzalez (00:04:07.938): Yeah. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:10.228): Yes. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:11.469): I mean, I believe some people have tried to like, I mean, of course, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:14.410): the hard problem of consciousness was introduced by David Chalmers. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:17.031): And I forget his precise formulation, but like the, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:22.294): and people have tried to formalize precise formulations. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:24.855): But the main idea is that there is an explanatory gap. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:29.497): When you go from function and structure in, let’s say, like the physical world, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:36.571): To subjective experience that, yes, you can very much make the case that, okay, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:41.674): a hundred billion neurons interacting with each other in a nervous system, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:47.458): in a human brain. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:49.018): You can very much imagine a sequence Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:52.821): of explanations that would allow you to go Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:04:56.423): from the sensory input that the human experiences all the way up to their behavior. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:05:03.527): You know, in terms of, you know, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:05:05.229): how information is being passed around in the system, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:05:07.911): is being processed in various ways, how internal representations are made. Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:05:11.835): But at no point like that turns into, oh, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson (00:05:15.578): and there is actually a subject of experience with qualia. Christian Gonzalez (00:05:19.061): Right. Why are the lights on in the first place? Yeah. Christian Gonzalez (00:05:21.643): I feel like in theory, you could have all the functions of a brain being performed, Christian Gonzalez (00:05:26.265): but there’s this extra thing of like the first person experience that seems Christian Gonzalez (00:05:29.547): to… Get full access to Seeing Clearly at cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Oct 9

    The Gulf Oasis Hypothesis with Archeologist Dr. Jeffrey Rose

    Watch the full episode now: https://cxgonzalez.substack.com/p/the-gulf-oasis-hypothesis-with-archeologist When I wrote We Found Eden, arguing that we know the time and place that inspired the Garden of Eden myth, I didn’t anticipate such a positive reaction. I recieved an outpouring of support in the form of dozens of paid subscribers due to that article, so for that I am grateful. But what the people who (understandably) didn’t click through the ~70 footnotes in that piece might not know is that a core backbone of that piece came from a 2010 paper New Light on Human Prehistory in the Arabo-Persian Gulf Oasis by Dr. Jeffrey Rose. Dr. Rose argues for the Gulf Oasis Hypothesis, the thesis that we have good reason to think that the Persian Gulf, during much of the Pleistocene, provided a much needed oasis for the hunter gatherers of the Arabian Peninsula. At this time sea levels were much lower, and the Gulf, which is today only covered by around 40m of water, was completely exposed. This paper was, in my estimation, a tour de force of evidence consolidation and extrapolation. It is for this reason that I flew from San Francisco to Faro, Portugal to speak to Dr. Rose directly to talk about the Gulf Oasis Hypothesis. This is that conversation. If you want to go even deeper, consider reading Dr. Rose’s Book free book on the topic: An Introduction to Human Prehistory in Arabia: The Lost World of the Southern Crescent Get full access to Seeing Clearly at cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe

    The Gulf Oasis Hypothesis with Archeologist Dr. Jeffrey Rose
  3. Sep 4

    Michael Johnson: “We SHOULD Make AI Conscious”

    Michael Edward Johnson is a co-founder of the Qualia Research Institute and an independent researcher in the fields of consciousness, neuroscience and philosophy. Michael is, in my view, one of the most under appreciated thinkers around, so it brings me great pleasure to present this survey of his ideas to you all. We talk about mathematical theories of consciousness (dual-aspect monism), the symmetry theory of valence, panpsychism and super organism consciousness, vasocomputation, Buddhism, moral realism through valence realism, AI consciousness and AI alignment. If you found this podcast valuable, consider becoming a patron. My patrons help keep this show sustainable and ensure I can keep bringing you the most interesting thinkers in the highest quality possible. 0:00 — Highlights 0:51 — Intro 2:30 — Are the big labs incentivized to play down consciousness? 7:09 — What is consciousness? 10:03 — Dual-aspect monism 18:14 — Symmetry theory of valence 24:00 — Wait so panpsychism? 30:18 — The binding problem 34:08 — Is a corporation conscious? 42:51 — Vasocomputation, embodied bayesian priors, and trauma 49:50 — The self 50:57 — Why do latches stay closed? 54:29 — Cancer 55:27 — “The hand of the mind is the vascular system” 56:52 — Vasocomp. and predictive processing 59:04 — Tanha 1:02:50 — The multiple paths to Vasocomp. 1:04:46 — What is Enlightenment? 1:10:54 — How to open latches 1:18:00 — Empirical validation? 1:18:57 — Moral realism grounding in valence 1:32:38 — Objections to valence utilitarianism 1:40:32 — Is AI conscious? 1:49:58 — Is AI consciousness good for alignment? 1:57:38 — Michael’s longterm vision References Qualia Research Institute: https://qri.org/ Michael’s book Principia Qualia: https://opentheory.net/PrincipiaQualia.pdf Integrated Information Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_information_theory Symmetry Theory of Valence: https://opentheory.net/2021/07/a-primer-on-the-symmetry-theory-of-valence/ Noether’s Theorem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether’s_theorem Romeo Stevens’ X: https://x.com/RomeoStevens76 Nick Cammarata’s X: https://x.com/nickcammarata Michael (plus3happiness)’s X: https://x.com/Plus3Happiness The Feeling of Value: Moral Realism Grounded in Phenomenal Consciousness: https://amzn.to/4qQTo88 Reasons and Persons: https://amzn.to/4haQUhy Michael’s Socials Michael’s Blog: https://opentheory.net/ Michael Johnson’s X: https://x.com/johnsonmxe A beautiful overview of Michael’s core ideas: https://hyperspace.opentheory.net/ My Socials: X: http://x.com/cxgonzalez/ Substack: https://substack.com/@cxgonzalez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.x.gonzalez/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cxgonzalez Spotify: Apple Podcasts: Get full access to Seeing Clearly at cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Jul 15

    Michael Huemer explains his full argument for objective morality

    In this episode of Seeing Clearly, professor Michael Huemer and I run through his argument for moral realism: the thesis that there are objective moral facts knowable via intuition. We cover every other metaethical theory and show why each of them fails and how moral realism responds to the most popular objections against the view. I did my best to pressure Professor Huemer by steel manning anti-realism every step of the way. Link to buy Michael Huemer’s book Ethical Intuitionism: https://amzn.to/4wDCTOl 1:01 — What is metaethics? 2:52 — The 5 metaethical theories 10:58 — Why are philosophers, and not linguists, talking about semantics? 13:36 — Why non-cognitivism (emotivism, prescriptivism) is wrong 19:11 — Why quasi-realism is wrong 24:09 — Why naturalism is wrong 27:49 — The Open Question argument and can we just deny it? 29:34 — Is the is/ought gap real? 33:11 — If normative facts depend entirely on descriptive facts, are they really different? 37:16 — Why subjectivism is wrong 54:04 — The Principle of Phenomenal Conservatism 56:41 — Why nihilism is wrong 58:11 — Isn’t it more intuitive to be a nihilist given a modern scientific worldview? 1:10:09 — What if someone just doesn’t have realist intuitions? 1:18:44 — Does evolution debunk morality? 1:25:42 — How could we possibly know “non-natural” moral facts? Can meditation help? 1:36:25 — If you’re wrong about morality, does anything bad actually happen? 1:39:16 — What are moral statements true *about*? 1:46:19 — Does the Form of the Good = a value attractor state? 1:48:48 — Do souls exist? Get full access to Seeing Clearly at cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe

    Michael Huemer explains his full argument for objective morality
  5. Feb 10

    Embodiment, flow, creating a golden age, Neo-Hermeticism, God — Seeing Clearly episode 3

    Leona is a consciousness researcher, a practitioner of Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra and the Cofounder of The House of Hyperstition (hyperstitio.us). This was an enlivening conversation that only got better as the time flew by. We cover several fascinating topics earmarked below. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did participating in it. 1:06 — Embodied decision making, non-doing 35:36 — Chakras 43:00 — Translating and communicating woo concepts 48:55 — Acting from your body, not your mind 51:40 — When is conceptual thought useful? 55:58 — Flow-maxxing as a meta-desire 1:08:27 — Creating a golden age, distributed cognition 1:14:45 — Preserving agency within a fractal super organism 1:17:35 — Psychological development 1:19:15 — What is Neo-Hermeticism? Why this podcast? 1:30:08 — House of Hyperstition, social roles, healing 1:41:25 — The Self (top-down vs. bottom up) 1:47:10 — Good vs. bad egregores 1:51:58 — What is God? 2:00:27 — Divine coordination 2:04:42 — Love is gravity 2:06:52 — Virtue ethics Leona Twitter: https://x.com/dismaien House of Hyperstition: hyperstitio.us Christian Twitter: https://x.com/cxgonzalez Substack: https://substack.com/@cxgonzalez Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cxgonzalez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.x.gonzalez/ Relevant links Visualizing narratives: https://www.community-archive.org Neo-Hermeticism: Meta-rationality: https://metarationality.com Get full access to Seeing Clearly at cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe

    Embodiment, flow, creating a golden age, Neo-Hermeticism, God — Seeing Clearly episode 3
  6. Jan 14

    Predictive processing, morality, religion, tpot — Seeing Clearly episode 2

    1:24 — Live music 3:33 — Predictive processing and normativity 17:41 — Identity 22:07 — Emotions as an error signal 24:40 — Is/ought gap 27:50 — Abstraction, conceptual scaffolding, pragmatism 31:47 — Morphic field, civilizational development 38:37 — Coordination as a coordination mechanism 43:14 — The Kingdom of God, moral convergence 45:06 — Superorganisms, coordination, and utility functions 47:21 — Bioelectricity as cellular intuition, morphic field 52:01 — Narratives, archetypes, the .story filetype 57:01 — Astrology and The Cycles, personality types 1:01:01 — Platonic Forms 1:02:17 — tpot, Community Archive Xiq’s made some generational twitter threads that you have to check out, I’m going to share some of my favorites here: Collective intelligence diagram: Translating spiritual concepts into computer science language: Predictive Processing and Jung: My substack post on Virtue, Archetypes, and the Narrative Self: https://substack.com/@cxgonzalez/p-159900848 Xiq (“Chic”): X: https://x.com/exgenesis/highlights Substack: https://substack.com/@xiqo Community Archive: https://www.community-archive.org Christian Gonzalez: X: https://x.com/cxgonzalez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.x.gonzalez TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cxgonzalez Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WorldviewUpdatesPod Spotify: Apple Podcasts: Get full access to Seeing Clearly at cxgonzalez.substack.com/subscribe

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Exploring different philosophical frames for understanding what is and what we ought to do. Hosted by Christian Gonzalez. cxgonzalez.substack.com

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