112: “Ought flows from sentience” – neuropsychologist & “Hidden Spring” author Mark Solms

We discuss the biggest questions: "what's real?", "who matters?" and "how to make a better world?" with scientists, celebrities, activists, writers and philosophers. The Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings." It's a simple, yet radical, philosophy that's grounded in reality (naturalistic epistemology) and has compassion for all sentient beings (mostly human and non-human animals). Naturalism & sentiocentrism combined.

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Mark is a psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist, best known for his discovery of the brain mechanisms of dreaming and his use of psychoanalytic methods in contemporary neuroscience. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital and is the President of the South African Psychoanalytical Association. He is also Research Chair of the International Psychoanalytical Association. Mark has received numerous awards, notably Honorary Membership of the New York Psychoanalytic Society, the American College of Psychoanalysts and the American College of Psychiatrists. He has published more than 250 articles and book chapters, and 6 books. His second book, The Neuropsychology of Dreams, was a landmark contribution to the field. His 2002 book (with Oliver Turnbull), The Brain and the Inner World was a best-seller and has been translated into 13 languages. His latest book, on the hard problem of consciousness, is The Hidden Spring.

In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”

Sentientism is “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.

We discuss:

00:00 Welcome

01:29 Mark’s Intro

– The brain as the organ of the mind

– Breaking from behaviourism

– Studying psychoanalysis (first person) alongside neuroscience (studying from the outside)

– The value of interdisciplinary studies of consciousness

– Artificial intelligence perspectives

06:08 What’s Real?

– Sunday school, Christian mother

– At 5-6 yrs old, father said “Your mum believes in all that stuff, I don’t.”

– Brother’s horrific accident & brain damage: “He came back from the hospital… a changed person.” “Who is this guy and where is Lee?”

– “I was forced at an early age to confront this question of the relationship mind & body… the person & the organism”

– “My sentient being must somehow be bound up with the functions of this bodily organ”

– “I think we underestimate little kids… they really do think about these things”

– “Clearly he is his brain”

– Finding it terrifying… intimations of our own mortality

– Lying in bed in panic: “I am going to cease to exist”

– Depression: “what’s the point?”

– Becoming atheist, now agnostic. Appreciating the limits of human comprehension (through working with patients)

– “We’re only able to comprehend as much as the instrument we use… is capable of… it’s not a perfect instrument”

– Taking a comfort in ignorance & the limits of our capability

– “Do the best we can to understand” but “science has limits”

– Un-testable/falsifiable beliefs. Delusions as a response to frightening uncertainties

…and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info.

Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our “I’m a Sentientist” wall via this simple form.

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Thanks Graham.