256. Psychedelics, Consciousness, and AI | Richard Dawkins

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May 26, 2022

Dr. Richard Dawkins, a renowned evolutionary biologist and passionate advocate for science, delves into fascinating topics that bridge science and philosophy. He discusses the role of psychedelics in shaping consciousness and the importance of symbolism in understanding human perception. The conversation critiques postmodernism, examining its effects on truth and language. Dawkins and his host explore the relationship between sexual selection and human evolution, probing deeper into how individual preferences can influence societal ideals.

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INSIGHT

Organisms as Models

Organisms, including humans, are models of the world, reflecting their adaptation to environments.
Dawkins's "genetic book of the dead" concept suggests genomes are palimpsests of ancestral environments.

INSIGHT

Sexual Selection's Influence

Human evolution is significantly shaped by sexual selection, especially female choices in mates.
This selection pressure influences what humans model and value, unconsciously incorporating female preferences.

ANECDOTE

Snakes and DNA Symbolism

Dawkins criticizes Peterson's symbolic interpretation of intertwined snakes as DNA.
He challenges the idea that ancient cultures could apprehend DNA's structure without prior knowledge.

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Dr. Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, theorist, and one of the world’s foremost atheists.

In this episode, Dr. Dawkins and I discuss religion, psychedelics, consciousness, symbolism, postmodernism, and the importance of objective truth.

Links:

To follow Dawkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins

Website: https://richarddawkins.com/

Read Dawkins’ articles: https://richarddawkins.com/articles

To donate to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science: https://richarddawkins.net/donate/

Show Notes:

[0:00] Intro

[1:30] Jordan’s rise to fame, Bill C-16, and Free Speech

[5:30] Intimidation and fear of speaking out against the far left

[9:10] Micro retreats

[11:40] Dawkins’ paper about the organism as a model

[18:30] Female sexual selection

[21:10] Differences between Jordan and Dr. Dawkins' thinking

[24:00] Jeffrey Gray, his work on modeling, Psychedelics, and Anxiety

[30:00] Psychedelics, Symbolism, and Consciousness

[41:00] Jordan’s experiences with psilocybin and yoga

[45:40] Postmodernism, Lacan, Foucault, and Mikhaila’s Oxford Union debate

[52:30] Jordan addresses Dawkins' assertion that despite being against postmodernist thinking he at times utilizes symbolism to speculate in a way which is similar to them.

[53:50] Finding commonality between myths and symbols across cultures

[55:50] False pattern recognition and revelatory thoughts

[59:20] Objective truth and the scientific process

[1:07:10] Unpleasant or dangerous truths

[1:08:10] The metaphysical vision of the redeeming power of truth

[1:10:10] Jordan and Dawkins discuss the idea that a narrative drives the process of inquiry, even in regards to objective truth

[1:12:50] Humans’ ability to understand difficult concepts on a biological level

[1:16:10] Question: Do you identify the religious impulse or even the religious phenomenon with the totalitarian proclivity for dogmatic certainty and the potential acceleration of aggression and atrocity as a consequence?

[1:20:10] Question: To what degree do you think that consciousness operates as a fundamental mechanism of selection and shaping?

[1:23:00] Artificial intelligence and the metaphysical significance of consciousness

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