Is Materialism Wrong? Contentless Awareness as the Foundation of Reality

Contentless awareness, not the material world, forms the foundation of reality.

### Materialism: A Myth? Exploring Contentless Awareness as the Foundation of Reality

* 🧠 The video challenges **materialism**, arguing that consciousness cannot be fully explained by studying the brain alone, as brain cells themselves don't possess the qualities they process (e.g., cells processing red are not red).
* 🤔  The speaker rejects the common definition of consciousness as requiring content, citing Nagel's "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" as a potential source of this misconception.
* 🧘  Focusing on the "gaps" between thoughts and sensations reveals a **contentless consciousness**, an awareness aware only of itself, which the speaker posits as the foundation of reality.
* 🤯 This **contentless awareness**, rather than the material world, is proposed as the source of our perceived reality; the material world is a creation, not a fundamental substance.
* 🔬  The speaker acknowledges the value of neuroscience but views the brain and nervous system as "fantastic works of art," tools to understand something beyond themselves.
* 🌌 This perspective, the speaker suggests, could explain quantum phenomena and paranormal events, with the material world arising from this underlying awareness.
* ✨  The video concludes that reality is more akin to an "art project" constantly being created, with awareness as the fundamental force.
* 🤔 The speaker invites viewers to consider this alternative perspective, challenging the conventional view of **materialism** as the ultimate explanation of reality.

So in this video, I'm going to explore the idea of materialism. I'm going to argue against it, not in favor of

idealism either. In fact, whatever it is, it seems to be beyond anything that the thinking mind can conceptualize using

simplistic categories. But materialism—again, we're at a strange place where you'll still find it. So I

just reread Seth's *Being You: A New Science of Consciousness*. It's an excellent book and

all that's worth reading, but it really represents this idea of materialism that we'll get there if we

just study the brain. And it uses other examples in human history, and there have been so many where we're just

like, 'We'll never understand this,' but yet, after time, patience, and work, eventually the mystery is revealed. And

so that logic is, 'Well, you know, we just haven't had enough time with consciousness.' And I don't buy that, and that's what

this video is about. Because when we dissect the brain—and you don't have to be a neuroscientist,

dude, you could just—you know—but what are you going to find? You're not going to find something that a neuroscientist isn't

going to find. You're going to find cells and their connections and neurotransmitters. But you'll find cells that process

red, and you'll find cells associated with anxiety and fear. But those cells responsible for

anxiety and fear are not themselves afraid, and the cells that process red are not themselves red, and the cells

that process anxiety are not themselves anxious. And so that sets up something of a mystery.

It's like going to a movie; it's like you could find the film, but you can't find the audience.

Who's watching it? Which is to say, uh, yeah, you can find these cells, but who's observing them? Uh, consciousness and this

is maybe one of the biggest, uh, wrong turns I think consciousness took. Was a very famous definition by Nagel in

when he wrote his famous paper, "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" And he came up with the

definition of consciousness that you'll find just about in every psych book and every consciousness book, and the definition goes something like this:

Of course, you use the bat because a bat has echolocation, and so there's something it's like to be a bat because

it has that particular type of experience. So, to be conscious, there has to be something it's like to

be that organism. And so, uh, that kind of overlaps almost entirely, if not is totally the same argument as saying, uh,

to be conscious, you have to be conscious of something; your consciousness has to have content to it. And I think that's where we

took a really wrong turn. And so I was talking about in the last video how you can become aware of the gaps

between thinking, and that's a very interesting place to start. Because if you focus awareness on the gaps between thinking, the gaps between

sensations, the gaps between perceptions, what you'll find is a—is it's sort of an emptiness. I mean, it's not a perfect—none

of the words are going to be perfect for this, but it's a it's a it's a contentless

type of consciousness. And I think that is the best proof we can get to that, um, rejects the idea of a

material world; that this material world is the substance of reality. And the reason I say it that way is because

if the material world—if this is it—um, how could it give rise to something that could experience a state that has no

material in it and so that contentless consciousness is awareness, aware of only awareness, and that sounds very strange, in fact.

I've never been able to communicate that to anyone who hasn't had the experience, and people who haven't

instantly know exactly where I'm going with it, and people who haven't had it continue to put their faith in the material world as

being the ultimate substance of reality. Uh, this is a completely backwards... uh, whatever that awareness is, uh, without content, that's

what's giving rise to what we call the material world. So this whole process of discovery, it's not really discovery at all; we're

not discovering physics, we're not discovering um, a physical reality; we're inventing it, we're creating it. And then what reality

ultimately becomes is more of an art project where we're creating it as we go. And of course, this perspective, at least

in my view, would explain all kinds of quantum strangeness, uh, you know, spooky action at a distance,

uh, every paranormal thing, up into things like the placebo effect, could very easily be explained if we start with the

idea of awareness giving rise to this material reality. And you might say, well, well, you know, you study neuroscience and

you've talked about the brain; why would you do that if you don't even buy into any of that?

Uh, well, for a lot of reasons; the same reason I would watch *Training Day* or *Goodfellas*, you know.

I don't believe in them; I don't think that they're ultimately real, but there is a certain entertainment and value in

that, uh, and and there's value in art. And so I, I watch that the same reason I would watch

any piece of art or literature. And so to me, this material world, and particularly brains and nervous systems, are fantastic works of art.

and they can act as interesting pointers to go beyond themselves, and so uh, that's the argument I would put forth

that the material world uh isn't at all the basic substance of reality; it's not idealism either. I

wouldn't say it's ideas; uh, ideas are still — have content. Ideas are still thoughts. I would say

uh, whatever this contentless awareness is, that's the foundation, and it's giving rise to, or dreaming, this material world.

Proof Materialism is a Myth

Chris Niebauer, Ph.D.

Critique of Materialism and the Limits of Scientific Understanding

The speaker will argue against materialism, not advocating for idealism.

The nature of reality may be beyond simplistic conceptualization.

Materialism persists despite limitations, as exemplified by Seth's 'Being You'.

The belief that studying the brain will fully explain consciousness is challenged.

The speaker rejects the idea that insufficient time studying consciousness is the reason for lack of understanding.

The Neurological Argument Against Materialism

Dissecting the brain reveals cells and connections, but not the observer.

Brain cells process information but lack the qualities they represent (e.g., fear, color).

The analogy of a movie: the film can be found, but not the audience (consciousness).

The question of who or what is observing brain activity is raised.

Re-evaluating the Definition of Consciousness

Nagel's definition of consciousness ('something it's like to be') is critiqued.

The speaker argues against the idea that consciousness requires content.

Focusing on gaps between thoughts and sensations reveals a contentless consciousness.

Contentless Consciousness and the Nature of Reality

Contentless consciousness is presented as evidence against materialism.

The question is posed: how can a material world give rise to non-material experience?

Contentless consciousness is described as awareness of only awareness.

The speaker proposes that this contentless awareness is the foundation of reality, not the material world.

The process of understanding reality is framed as creation rather than discovery.

Reality is likened to an art project, constantly being created.

This perspective could explain quantum phenomena and paranormal occurrences.

The placebo effect is suggested as an example supporting this view.

The Value of Studying Neuroscience Despite Rejecting Materialism

The speaker justifies studying neuroscience as a form of artistic exploration.

The brain and nervous system are described as fantastic works of art.

Neuroscience can offer insights beyond the materialist framework.