Neuroscience, Consciousness & Nonduality - James Cooke, PhD | The FitMind Podcast

Dr. James Cooke is a neuroscientist, writer and speaker, focused on consciousness, meditation, psychedelic states, and science.
He studied Experimental Psychology and completed his PhD in Neuroscience at Oxford University.
Dr. Cooke holds research positions at University College London and Trinity College Dublin where he investigates how the brain creates our experience of the world.
In this episode, we dive into the concept of nonduality, why our brains construct an ego, the nature of consciousness, psychedelic states and much more.
For the full list of FitMind Podcast episodes, visit www.fitmind.com/podcast.
ABOUT FITMIND
FitMind provides mental fitness training based on the latest neuroscience. We created a mobile app that teaches 50+ science-based methods adapted from various traditions (i.e., Loving-kindness, Stoicism, Yoga, Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, Indo-Tibetan Bön, etc.). Check it out here: bit.ly/fitmindtraining.
Website: www.fitmind.com/
Podcast: ​pod.link/fitmind
Instagram: bit.ly/IGfitmind
SHOW NOTES
0:00 | Introduction to Dr. James Cooke
4:18 | Nondual Nature of Consciousness
6:14 | Video Game Analogy for Consciousness
7:40 | Present Moment Awareness
8:35 | Why Brains Construct Egos
12:40 | Thermodynamics of Life
14:19 | Humans are Wired for Survival
20:25 | Brain as Secondary to Life Process
23:15 | Science is the Map Not the Territory
24:57 | Explaining Nonduality
27:48 | Bringing Nonduality into Everyday Life
31:45 | How Psychedelics Work the Brain
36:05 | Default Mode Network Explained
40:13 | How Psychedelics Might be Used in the Future
42:22 | Using Science to Set a Course for Human Evolution
44:18 | Science and Spiritual Skepticism
47:46 | Rapid Fire Questions
48:20 | Where Consciousness Comes into Existence
50:20 | Thomas Nagel - What Does It Feel Like to Be a Bat
52:40 | Where to Find Dr. James Cooke’s Work

[@naz0079]

Fascinating discussion

[@quantumchristianity]

👁️ nice to meet you

[@alanahampton]

Huxley’s soma perhaps.

[@tyreliouszukarious2582]

why did he think that 'free-will' did not exist but only the decision making ? It would have been nice if he could have expanded that.

[@naz0079]

Perhaps, because we're really Co-Creators?

[@hordebucket8971]

So your decisions are all causal so there for that's not true free will. As a whole as an dualistic being you are an physical chemical interaction of genetics and environmental results that create your mentality so in a way your kinda just gonna do what your going to do.
Free will is kind of an illusion in the grander picture that's what he is trying to say.