episode-header-image

Jan 2022

1h 6m

Are we living in a simulation?

About this episode

Sean Illing talks with philosopher David Chalmers about virtual worlds and the nature of reality, and other topics that stem from Chalmers's new book Reality+. In this far-reaching discussion, Sean and Prof. Chalmers get into the makeup of human consciousness, the question of whether we're living in a computer simulation, and — of course — The Matrix. Are di ... Show More

Up next

How to feel more secure

Sean talks with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine about attachment, insecurity, and why our relationships shape us more than we think. They discuss his updated framework for anxious, avoidant, and secure attachment styles, why being ignored or excluded can feel so threa ... Show More

The people who want AI to replace us

Sean talks with writer Sigal Samuel about AI successionism, the growing movement that sees artificial intelligence as humanity’s rightful successor. They discuss why some people in the AI world think humanity should be replaced, how this vision borrows from old religious ideas ab ... Show More

Understanding our dreams

Sean talks with dream scientist Michelle Carr about what dreams are, why we have them, and what they might reveal about the mind. They discuss nightmares, lucid dreaming, memory, consciousness, and whether dreams are just random brain noise or a kind of overnight therapy. They al ... Show More

Recommended Episodes

REALITY+: Are We Living in a Simulation?

Philosopher David Chalmers reckons there’s a 25% chance that we are living in a simulation. And he’s OK with it. David's new book is "Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy." To hear an extended version of this episode, download the Next Big Idea app: https://nex ... Show More

Getting everything, losing everything | Anders Sandberg, Massimo Pigliucci, Mazviita Chirimuuta

Cosmic Queries – Living in a Simulation with Nick Bostrom

<p>Are we in a simulation? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice take a deep dive into simulation theory, consciousness, and free will with Oxford theorist Nick Bostrom. Is this The Matrix? </p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this ent ... Show More

#322 — Predicting Reality

<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Andy Clark about the predictive brain, embodied cognition, and the extended mind. They discuss the structure of perception, novelty, precision, pain, psychedelics, emotion, ways to hack our predictions, hypnosis, meditation, artificial intellig ... Show More

#318 — Physics & Philosophy

<p>Sam Harris speaks with Tim Maudlin about the foundations of physics and metaphysics. They talk about the nature of scientific reductionism, emergence, functionalism, the nature of time, presentism vs eternalism, causation, the nature of possibility, the laws of nature, David L ... Show More

#280 — The Future of Artificial Intelligence

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with Eric Schmidt about the ways artificial intelligence is shifting the foundations of human knowledge and posing questions of existential risk.</span></p> <p>If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can S ... Show More

#295 — Philosophy and the Good Life

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks to Kieran Setiya about the relevance of philosophy to living a good life. They discuss the existence of objective moral truths, being happy vs living well, our response to grief, the difference between "telic" and "atelic" acti ... Show More