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Bernardo Kastrup
Dutch computer scientist and philosopher (born 1974) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Bernardo Kastrup (born 21 October 1974) is a Dutch[1][2] philosopher and computer scientist[3] recognized for his contributions to consciousness studies, notably through his formulation of analytic idealism—a variant of metaphysical idealism rooted in the analytic tradition. He has authored numerous books and academic articles challenging physicalism and advocating for the view that consciousness constitutes the foundation of reality. Kastrup serves as the executive director of the Essentia Foundation.[4]
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Early life and education
Kastrup was born in the Niterói municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[5] He later relocated to Switzerland, before settling in the Netherlands.[6]
He completed his undergraduate studies in electronic engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 1997.[5] He then earned a Ph.D. in computer engineering with the thesis Automatic synthesis of reconfigurable instruction set accelerators (2001) from the Eindhoven University of Technology,[7] where his research focused on reconfigurable computing and artificial intelligence. Subsequently, he obtained a second doctorate in philosophy,[8] from Radboud University Nijmegen, where his research centered on ontology and philosophy of mind. His dissertation, Analytic Idealism: A consciousness-only ontology (2019), laid the groundwork for the metaphysical framework he would continue to elaborate.[9]
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Career
Summarize
Perspective
Kastrup began his professional journey in scientific research and technology by contributing to fields such as artificial intelligence and information security. He has held positions at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Philips Research Laboratories, and as a technology strategist for ASML Holding. Additionally, he co-founded Silicon Hive, a parallel processor company acquired by Intel in 2011,[10] as well as the AI systems company Syncthetics B.V.[11]
Transitioning to philosophy, Kastrup shifted his focus to metaphysics and the nature of consciousness.[12] As executive director of the Essentia Foundation, he oversees initiatives aimed at challenging materialist assumptions in science and philosophy, curating research that questions the adequacy of physicalism.[13][14] Kastrup has published extensively in both academic and popular venues, including in Scientific American,[15] where he critiqued mainstream interpretations of consciousness and argued for an idealist alternative.[16] His books, such as Why Materialism is Baloney, The Idea of the World, and Decoding Jung's Metaphysics, explore the implications of analytic idealism for the understanding of mind and reality.[17]
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Philosophical work
Kastrup is chiefly associated with analytic idealism, a philosophical system positing that phenomenal consciousness is the primary substrate of existence, with individual minds representing dissociated segments of a universal consciousness.[18][19][20]
He has participated in public debates with leading figures in science and philosophy, including Christof Koch, Graham Oppy, Susan Blackmore, Donald D. Hoffman, Philip Goff, and Sabine Hossenfelder.[21][22][23][24] These exchanges have sometimes been contentious and have sparked significant discussion within the academic community.[25]
Relation to Advaita Vedanta
Kastrup has expressed a connection between his philosophical views and Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy. He has participated in discussions with Swami Sarvapriyananda of the Ramakrishna Order, exploring the intersections between analytic idealism and Advaita philosophy.[26] In various interviews, Kastrup has stated that his concept of analytic idealism is a modern interpretation of ideas that were prevalent in the Indus Valley thousands of years ago, specifically referring to the non-dualistic teachings found in the Upanishads. In a YouTube video titled "Which religion would you choose?", Kastrup remarked, "Amongst the world religions, all of which I respect profoundly, intellectually I have profound affinity with the Indian tradition, and that's for obvious reasons. Analytic idealism is a modern dressing of what was known to the people in Indus valley".[27]
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Books
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2011). Rationalist Spirituality: An Exploration of the Meaning of Life and Existence Informed by Logic and Science. Winchester, UK: IFF Books. ISBN 9781846947353.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2011). Dreamed Up Reality. Iff Books. ISBN 9781846945250.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2012). Meaning in Absurdity: What Bizarre Phenomena Can Tell Us About the Nature of Reality. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781846948596.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2014). Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There is No Death and Fathom Answers to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Collective Ink. ISBN 9781782793618.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2015). Brief Peeks Beyond (Essays). Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781785350184.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2016). More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth, and Belief. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781785352874.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2019). The Idea of the World: A Multi-Disciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781785357398.[28]
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2020). Decoding Schopenhauer's Metaphysics. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781789044263.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2021). Decoding Jung's Metaphysics: The Archetypal Semantics of an Experiential Universe. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781789045659.[29]
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2021). Science Ideated. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781789046687.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2025). Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 9781803416694.
- Kastrup, Bernardo (2025). The Daimon and the Soul of the West. Winchester, UK: Iff Books. ISBN 978-1803419497. (forthcoming)[30]
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See also
References
External links
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