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Donald Hoffman: Reality is an Illusion - How Evolution Hid the Truth | Lex Fridman Podcast #293

Lex Fridman・145 minutes read

Perceptions are not aligned with objective reality but guide adaptive behavior, challenging the idea of a fundamental space-time concept and exploring deeper structures. Conscious agent theory aims to understand consciousness beyond space-time, with portals into consciousness created by psychedelics and brain-computer interfaces.

Insights

Donald Hoffman challenges the idea that what we see is reality, suggesting perceptions are meant to guide adaptive behavior rather than reveal objective truth.
Physicists are exploring new mathematical structures beyond traditional space-time theories, indicating a shift in understanding fundamental concepts.
Evolution prioritizes fitness over truth, influencing perceptions that guide behavior rather than depict objective reality.
The text discusses the limitations of explaining consciousness from physical entities like neurons, suggesting a fundamental reevaluation of consciousness theories.
Conscious realism posits that reality is ephemeral and exists only when observed, challenging traditional notions of identity and possession.
Researchers are exploring the concept of living in a simulation, prompting questions about consciousness and the nature of reality.

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Summary

00:00

Perceptions as Adaptive Fiction: Challenging Reality

Donald Hoffman, a professor of cognitive sciences at UC Irvine, challenges the idea that what we see is reality, calling it an adaptive fiction.
Hoffman's research focuses on evolutionary psychology, visual perception, and consciousness, with over 120 scientific papers and a book titled "The Case Against Reality."
Evolutionary theory suggests that natural selection does not shape sensory systems to see true properties of objective reality, with a probability of zero except for specific structures.
Evolution prioritizes fitness over truth, leading to perceptions that guide adaptive behavior rather than revealing objective reality.
Hoffman's team, including graduate students and mathematicians, conducted simulations and proofs to support the claim that perceptions are not aligned with objective reality.
Our perceptions are real as perceptions but are not meant to reveal the truth of reality, rather to hide the complexity and guide adaptive behavior.
Hoffman compares our perceptions to a user interface on a computer, designed to simplify and guide behavior without revealing the underlying truth.
Physicists, like Nima Arkani-Hamed, are also questioning the fundamental nature of space-time, suggesting new mathematical structures beyond traditional theories.
Space-time, as described by Einstein's theory, is considered doomed by physicists, leading to the search for new structures beyond Hilbert spaces and four-dimensional space-time.
Physicists are exploring new mathematical structures like the Amplituhedron and cosmological polytopes, indicating a shift away from traditional space-time concepts.

15:00

"Beyond Space-Time: Simplifying Complex Computations"

Polyhedra in multidimensions are used to code for scattering amplitudes in colliders, simplifying computations from billions of terms to one term.
Space-time is considered a user interface, lacking deep insights into reality, leading to complex computations due to enforcing locality and unitarity.
Dual conformal symmetry, true of scattering data, is obscured in space-time, simplifying computations when considered outside space-time.
The geometry of polytopes' facets can code for unitarity and locality, revealing a new world beyond space-time with explicit symmetries.
The amplituhedron captures deep structures beyond space-time, reducing billions of terms to one term, leading to insights into symmetries.
Evolution by natural selection and quantum field theory suggest space-time's limitations, prompting exploration of deeper structures projecting into space-time.
Godel's incompleteness theorem implies reality transcends any conceptual theory, with assumptions acting as starting points for explanation.
Decentralized financial systems, like cryptocurrencies, align with evolutionary psychology, avoiding reliance on central controllers prone to corruption.
Power's corrupting nature, a consequence of evolution, serves as a lesson to learn from negative examples.
The evolutionary interface concept challenges science to maintain a connection to reality, ensuring theories are empirically tested and project into space-time.

29:18

Exploring Reality Beyond Space-Time Limitations

The text discusses the limitations of testing theories based on what can be measured in space and time.
It challenges the idea of objective reality, suggesting that pointers are just pointers and not objective truths.
The text mentions Godel's idea that developing new axiom systems reveals what is testable within them.
It highlights the need for a conceptual understanding rather than a final theory of everything.
The text emphasizes the need for reverse engineering the brain to understand what lies beyond space-time.
It discusses how perceptions are constructed by sensory systems and compares it to a Necker cube illusion.
Physicists are exploring theories beyond space-time that precisely tether high-dimensional structures to four-dimensional space-time.
The text mentions the search for a dynamical theory of consciousness that could explain the geometric structures found beyond space-time.
It critiques the assumption that space-time is fundamental and particles like quarks and gluons are objective reality.
The text discusses the limitations of reductionism and the need to think beyond space-time to find deeper theories.

43:26

Understanding Brain Architecture: Three-Level Approach at MIT

David Maher's work at MIT focused on understanding the brain's architecture, leading to a three-level approach: computational theory, algorithm, and hardware.
Maher emphasized the necessity of understanding neuroscience at all levels to truly comprehend it.
The idea that without the ability to build something, true understanding is lacking.
The importance of grasping the purpose behind interfaces, like keyboards, to comprehend the underlying circuitry.
Evolution and natural selection provide limited insight into the deeper questions of reality.
Spiritual traditions suggest that space and time are illusions, hinting at a deeper reality beyond conceptual understanding.
The endless pursuit of scientific theories may lead to remarkable insights and technological innovations.
The potential to bypass space-time as a data structure, allowing direct access to distant locations.
The balance between exploration and simply being, with the best scientists likely engaging in both.
The evolutionary perspective on deviating from reality, with more primitive sensory systems being less realistic.

59:06

"Evolutionary game theory and truth computation"

Lower creatures may lack complexity for truth computation.
86 billion neurons enable truth computation.
Genetic algorithms used in simulations by Justin Mark.
Initial random organisms foraged, with few showing truth-seeking behavior.
Organisms tracking fitness payoffs were fitter than truth seekers.
Evolutionary game theory is a valuable scientific tool.
Scientists should not blindly believe current theories.
Yale team's simulations showed truth could evolve with numerous fitness functions.
Objects in evolutionary theory are data structures for fitness payoffs.
Fitness functions in evolutionary game theory are fundamental assumptions.

01:13:57

"Hidden Realities: Interface, Consciousness, and Evolution"

Dark matter and dark energy, which make up most of the energy and matter in the universe, are hidden by our interface, leading to a skewed representation of reality.
The distinction between living and non-living is not fundamental but rather a product of our interface, suggesting a need for a deeper theory beyond space-time.
The concept of death and the line between the living and the dead are crucial components of natural selection and evolution.
The notion of a Markov blanket in network dynamics suggests that states inside the blanket are independent of those outside, influencing survival strategies.
The interface we create for others, like faces, is merely a symbol we interact with, not the consciousness itself, implying a deeper reality behind what we perceive.
The complexity of portals to consciousness varies, with protons and elementary particles being less insightful due to their direct ties to space-time data structures.
The syncing between humans in communication involves making inferences and building models of each other, potentially being distant from underlying reality.
Signaling games and evolutionary color word development show how including diverse perspectives, like dichromats, can influence communication boundaries.
Various theories on consciousness, such as orchestrated quantum state collapses in neurons or integrated information theory, attempt to explain its emergence from physical systems.
The tension schema theory proposes that neural network processes representing intentional processes could be a form of consciousness.

01:28:45

"Fundamental Elements: From Physics to Consciousness"

Global workspace theory and neuronal global workspace theory are common theories that assume space-time and physical processes are fundamental.
Panpsychism adds consciousness as an additional element, similar to dualism.
The belief that space-time is fundamental is being challenged by recent scientific discoveries.
Earth, air, fire, and water were once considered fundamental elements, but the periodic table of elements revealed a more complex reality.
Quarks, leptons, and gluons are now understood as the fundamental particles of the standard model of physics.
Space-time itself is now seen as not fundamental, but rather as irreducible representations of symmetries.
Consciousness research based on space-time as fundamental is considered outdated.
Conscious experiences are seen as fundamental and not derived from physics or particles.
Conscious experiences are believed to trigger other conscious experiences probabilistically.
Conscious agents are mathematical structures with probability spaces of possible experiences and markovian kernels describing interactions.

01:43:16

"Conscious Agent Networks: Solving Hard Problem"

The text discusses the absence of fundamental concepts like learning, memory, problem-solving, intelligence, self, and agency in a theory that aims to assume as little as possible.
To introduce these concepts, networks of conscious agents need to be built, as they are computationally universal and can encompass neural networks and automata capabilities.
Conscious agent networks can capture any computable theory, including non-computable interactions between conscious agents, allowing for memory and primitive learning.
The hard problem of consciousness is redefined in the text as starting with conscious experiences and building up space, time, and physical objects, rather than explaining consciousness from physical entities like neurons.
Consciousness is proposed as fundamental, with the theory focusing on showing how networks of conscious agents can lead to the creation of space, time, and brain activity.
The text mentions two miracles in the theory: the existence of conscious experiences like the taste of chocolate and the probabilistic relationship between different conscious experiences.
The possibility of understanding consciousness without form, represented by a fundamental probability space for consciousness, is discussed as a mechanism outside of space-time.
Solving the hard problem of consciousness involves starting with conscious experiences and building up symbols like brains through networks of conscious agents, potentially leading to groundbreaking technologies.
The text suggests that while the technical problem of building up space, time, and brains from conscious agents is solvable, the broader concept of a theory of everything may not be achievable.
The theory of consciousness being developed by the team is seen as potentially deeper than current physics structures like the amplituhedron, hinting at significant advancements in understanding consciousness and reality.

01:58:26

"Evolution of Conscious Agent Theory Concepts"

Conscious agent theory is considered a 1.0 theory, utilizing probability spaces and Markovian kernels.
The theory may evolve to category theory and topoid theory, leading to deeper and more interesting concepts.
The question of how formless gives birth to form, like the taste of chocolate, remains unsolvable.
Conscious agents may continue to deepen in theory, but the fundamental question may persist.
Annaka Harris and Donald Hoffman share similar ideas on consciousness, with a focus on clarifying terminology.
Language plays a crucial role in conveying complex concepts like consciousness, with words holding significant ambiguity.
Consciousness can be viewed abstractly, with dynamics existing outside of space and time, potentially cooperative.
A stationary Markovian dynamics may lack entropic time, but any projection will introduce entropic time.
Limited resources in projections may lead to competition, evolution, and the notion of self.
The theory aims to show how networks of conscious agents can give rise to evolution by natural selection through projection.

02:14:15

Exploring Consciousness: The Portal Theory

Starting with the challenge of explaining conscious experiences, the text questions the ability to boot up specific conscious experiences from physical systems.
Various theories of consciousness, such as integrated information theory and global workspace theory, are discussed, highlighting the lack of a theory that can explain a specific conscious experience.
The text explores the idea that complexity in physical systems, particularly in brains, may be linked to the emergence of consciousness.
The concept of complexity is debated, with the text suggesting that grounding complexity solely in space-time may not fully explain consciousness.
The text delves into the limitations of starting with physical systems to explain consciousness, pointing out the lack of progress in this approach.
The text discusses the possibility of visualizing deep truths about reality, drawing parallels to historical scientific breakthroughs.
The potential for understanding consciousness through subjective experiences, like psychedelic drugs, is explored as a way to gain insights into consciousness.
The text introduces the idea of conscious agents and their projection into space-time, suggesting a way to understand consciousness.
The text discusses the creation of new portals into consciousness through experiences like having children, highlighting the unique interactions with different consciousnesses.
The text concludes with the idea of developing a theory of portals and understanding how interventions like psychedelics may create new portals into consciousness.

02:29:06

Exploring Portals: Psychedelics, Consciousness, and Realism

Brain computer interfaces could potentially create new portals de novo.
Psychedelics might influence portals within the body, potentially opening new windows to deeper consciousness.
Understanding the body as a portal could lead to shifting it to access different parts of consciousness.
Psychedelics could tweak existing complex portals, potentially opening new ones.
Creating new portals differs significantly from morphing existing ones.
The search for structures beyond space time by physicists is seen as exciting and innovative.
The goal is to develop a theory that explains the evolution of space time and consciousness.
Conscious realism suggests that reality is ephemeral, existing only when observed.
This perspective challenges the idea of possessions and identity, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of objects.
Conscious agents theory provides a mathematical model for understanding consciousness and its relationship to space time.

02:44:11

"Exploring Consciousness, Simulation, and Virtual Reality"

The long-term behavior of conscious agent dynamics is crucial in understanding the amplituhedron and its connection to space-time.
Permutation matrices play a central role in both the amplituhedron and the asymptotic description of conscious agents.
The concept of living in a simulation, as proposed by Nick Bostrom, raises questions about consciousness and the nature of reality.
Researchers are exploring efficient ways to create immersive virtual reality experiences with minimal rendering requirements.
Immersion in virtual reality can lead individuals to overlook the lack of sensory experience behind them, highlighting the power of simulation.
The realization that life may be akin to a virtual reality game can prompt deep existential questioning and a shift in priorities.
Detaching from the interface of reality requires a conscious choice to let go of thoughts and attachments to identity and history.
The experience of the present moment is considered the only true reality, with the rest being perceived as a constructed interface.
The process of acknowledging the limitations of our interface reality can be both terrifying and challenging.
Einstein's theories, while groundbreaking, still operate within the framework of space-time and may oversimplify the true nature of reality.

02:58:52

Exploring Quantum Consciousness and Life's Meaning

Chris Fuchs discusses quantum Bayesianism, highlighting the predictability of quantum measurements and the creation of facts through observation.
Quantum theory challenges local realism and non-contextual realism, supporting the idea that consciousness is fundamental.
Personal reflection on facing rebellion against the concept of consciousness as fundamental, leading to a deeper understanding of the self.
A near-death experience due to Covid prompts contemplation on attachment to physical existence and the impermanence of life.
Intense meditation and reflection on the nature of consciousness and reality following the near-death experience.
Love is viewed as a fundamental aspect of human existence, with deeper love transcending physical attachment.
God is perceived as the ground of being, emphasizing unity and interconnectedness rather than individual beings.
Advice to young individuals to recognize their significance in creating reality and to embrace the limitless potential of imagination.
The meaning of life is pondered in relation to consciousness exploring infinite structures and the emergence of experiences from being.
Acknowledgment of uncertainty and the importance of starting with "I don't know" in seeking deeper understanding of consciousness and existence.

03:13:51

Awakening through recognizing what is not

Consciousness wakes up by recognizing what it is not, leading to a realization that it immerses itself fully into a particular mindset before slowly awakening to escape it.
To understand oneself, one must acknowledge what they are not, emphasizing the importance of recognizing what is not essential in the process of self-discovery.

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