Renowned scientist Dr. Donald Hoffman proposes a revolutionary perspective on the nature of consciousness. Hoffman argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it is actually consciousness that gives rise to our brains and shapes the reality we experience.
Dr. Hoffman argues that consciousness does not arise from the biological processes in our cells, neurons or brain chemistry. It completely transcends the physical realm.
“Consciousness creates our brains, not our brains create consciousness,” he says.
His groundbreaking work uses evolutionary game theory to support the idea that human perception is not a window into reality as it is, but rather a construct shaped by the need to survive.
According to Hoffman, evolution has not equipped us to perceive the world in its true form. Instead, our senses and cognitive processes have evolved to create a simplified, utilitarian representation of the world – one that is tailored to our immediate needs and increases our chances of survival.
This means that what we think of as the ‘physical’ world is in fact a projection constructed by our minds. Our brains have evolved to filter out all information that does not directly contribute to our survival, resulting in a highly selective and limited view of reality.
Consequently, the scientific models and theories we develop are not based on the universe itself, but on the interpretations and projections of our brains. Science, as it stands today, remains limited by the concepts of space and time, which are merely constructs of our perception, rather than reflecting a deeper, more fundamental reality.
Hoffman suggests that consciousness is not a physical phenomenon, but is instead something much more elusive – possibly akin to dark matter or some other unknown entity.
He proposes that what we experience as consciousness may be part of a vast ‘conscious network’, with our brains functioning as interfaces that connect to this network. In this view, consciousness is not generated by the brain, but flows through it, and when we die this consciousness can continue to exist within the network, independently of our physical existence.
