The Idea of the World: A Multi-Disciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality

A rigorous case for the primacy of mind in nature, from philosophy to neuroscience, psychology and physics. The Idea of the World offers a grounded alternative to the frenzy of unrestrained abstractions and unexamined assumptions in philosophy and science today. This book examines what can be learned about the nature of reality based on conceptual parsimony, straightforward logic and empirical evidence from fields as diverse as physics and neuroscience. It compiles an overarching case for idealism - the notion that reality is essentially mental - from ten original articles the author has previously published in leading academic journals. The case begins with an exposition of the logical fallacies and internal contradictions of the reigning physicalist ontology and its popular alternatives, such as bottom-up panpsychism. It then advances a compelling formulation of idealism that elegantly makes sense of - and reconciles - classical and quantum worlds. The main objections to idealism are systematically refuted and empirical evidence is reviewed that corroborates the formulation presented here. The book closes with an analysis of the hidden psychological motivations behind mainstream physicalism and the implications of idealism for the way we relate to the world.

• Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Everything
• The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes
• Dreamed Up Reality: Diving into the Mind to Uncover the Astonishing Hidden Tale of Nature
• More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth And Belief
• Rationalist Spirituality: An exploration of the meaning of life and existence informed by logic and science
• Brief Peeks Beyond: Critical Essays on Metaphysics, Neuroscience, Free Will, Skepticism and Culture
• Meaning in Absurdity: What bizarre phenomena can tell us about the nature of reality
• The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge
• The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are In a Video Game
• The Nature of Consciousness: Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter