Find MORE Meaning WITHOUT Free Will! | Bernardo Kastrup Explains

We usually think that it is free will that gives meaning to life, but what if exactly the opposite is true, that the fact that we don’t have free will makes life meaningful? A couple of weeks ago Bernardo Kastrup, the executive director of the Essentia Foundation, wrote an essay (https://www.essentiafoundation.org/th…) arguing that, under objective idealism, the whole convulsiveness around free will is a meaningless red herring. In his opinion, the free will vs determinism debate misses the point, because fundamentally there is no distinction between nature’s will and what nature is necessitated to do. In other words: what we assume to be free will is, on a universal level, exactly the same as determinism. In this video ,Hans Busstra sits down with Bernardo Kastrup to discuss this line of reasoning while also trying to make it personal: why do we want free will so badly on a psychological level? Why, as a culture, do we usually associate determinism with nihilism and meaninglessness? The conversation covers Laplace’s Demon, computational irreducibility, and works towards Kastrup’s main point: if you can accept that, on a personal level, you don’t have free will, you realize that you are being ‘played’ by a universe that—due to computational irreducibility—cannot ‘see’ where it’s going before it goes. Instead of suffering as an effect of ‘bad’ free will decisions by human agents, suffering becomes part of the inevitable evolution of the universe

Matter and Desire with Andreas Weber

Could it be that our planet is not suffering primarily from a financial crisis, or even an ecological one, but from a critical lack of love? Andreas Weber asks a radical and challenging question. In speaking of love and of eroticism, Weber is not referring to sentimental feelings, but to a new basis for ontology itself, based on a mix of cutting-edge biological findings and philosophical insights. A German biologist and eco-philosopher, Weber delves deep into the continuity and connections between our bodies and those of all living beings. In this talk he will discuss his new book Matter and Desire: An Erotic Ecology. Written in the tradition of John Muir and Rachel Carson, the book weaves personal narrative and lyrical descriptions with a discussion of ecology and psychology, offering a new—and necessary—way to move through nature to ultimately achieve a heightened sense of self-awareness. The book is part of Weber’s larger project of developing an eco-philosophy—or as Weber calls it, a “biopoetics”—for the Anthropocene.

Riane Eisler | What Could Possibly Go Right?

Riane Eisler is a social systems scientist, cultural historian, futurist, and attorney whose research, writing, and speaking has transformed the lives of people worldwide. Her newest work, Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future, co-authored with anthropologist Douglas Fry, shows how to construct a more equitable, sustainable, and less violent world based on Partnership rather than Domination. Dr. Eisler is founder and president of the Center for Partnership Studies (CPS), dedicated to research and education. She answers the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including: That “there’s still this distracting argument between capitalism or socialism” and that “yes, we need enlightened government policies, but we really need to go deeper and wider and beyond” The focus on four cornerstones for partnership or domination systems: family/childhood, gender, economics, narratives/language The use of social wealth economic indicators as better measures for quality of life.

Gurdjieff in Armenia Documentary Film

A documentary on George Gurdjieff with Armenian sub-titles. Contains original and rare footage of the Gurdjieff movements and music from the 1920’s and covers the basis of his teaching in his own words. George Gurdjieff was born in 1867 in Gyumri (formerly Alexandropol) in Armenia. His father Ivan was Greek and his mother Yeva was Armenian. The film was made by Jean-Claude Lubtchansky, a close associate of Madame de Salzmann, with the support of the Gurdjieff Institute in France and is best viewed in full screen on a television or laptop. Osho described Gurdjieff as one of the most significant spiritual masters of this era and indeed this is a film well worth watching. Gurdjieff’s teaching is fully described in the book called “In Search of the Miraculous” which can be read at http://www.gurdjieff.am

CHASING BUDDHA — The award-winning documentary about Buddhist nun Venerable Robina Courtin

Honored at Sundance, featured in cinemas, on Australia’s SBS, and on television worldwide, this inspiring film launched Courtin-Wilson’s career when he was nominated for Best Documentary Director at the Australian Film Industry Awards in 2000. Australian ex-Catholic, ex-political activist and feminist, Venerable Robina Courtin has been a Buddhist nun since 1978. Teaching Buddhism around the world, she shatters the stereotype of a Buddhist nun, her intense and direct style leaving an indelible impression on everyone she meets. In the heart of America’s bible belt, Venerable Robina visits Kentucky State Penitentiary, guiding death row inmates and others on the path to enlightenment. Determined to harness their minds and deal with their violent crimes, they inspire Venerable Robina to work even harder at her own rigorous spiritual practice. Ven. Robina says: “I’m grateful to Amiel, my nephew, for his generosity these past ten years in donating 50% of all income from the sale of Chasing Buddha to my Bodhichitta Trust, which supports many worthy projects. Now he is kindly offering everyone access to the film here on YouTube.”

The Meaning Crisis | Jeremy Lent

Author of renowned books ‘The Web of Meaning’ and ‘The Patterning Instinct’, Jeremy joins me to discuss how to combine traditional knowledge with scientific understanding to navigate the polycrisis, the impact of cultural worldviews and how to shift them, and how we can use interconnectedness as a foundation to creating a better and more diverse world.

Fred Matser – interview during GAIA Action Tank 2022

Fred Matser is a Founder of Fred Foundation & Essentia Foundation A life-changing experience radically affected his vision on life, death, and the human condition, Fred uses insights gained from his intuition, to restore the dynamic balance and harmony in ourselves, between people and in nature. The interview was held on: 09.05.2022