- Home
- Mind-Body Solution
- Guests
- Donald Hoffman
Donald Hoffman
Cognitive scientist: the interface theory of perception and conscious realism
Who they are, and what we talked about
Donald Hoffman is a cognitive scientist, Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, known for the interface theory of perception and a proposal he calls conscious realism. He argues that evolution shaped perception to guide useful behaviour rather than to show reality as it is, and that space and time may work more like a headset than a foundation.
He has joined Dr Naidu five times, and the conversations follow the theory as it developed: perception, evolution and conscious agents in 2022; a proposed experiment and the mathematics of conscious agents; the question of what an observer is; recent work on traces of consciousness and the structure of spacetime; and a joint dialogue with neuroscientist Karl Friston on what is ultimately real.
Topics
Written by Mind-Body Solution from the episode show notes. Guests speak for themselves, and their views are their own. Read the full disclaimer.
Episodes with Dr Naidu
In date order, so you can follow how the conversation developed.
12 April 2022
Is Reality An Illusion? Interface Theory of Perception & Conscious Realism
Length 2 hr 4 min
In this conversation: Psychophysics; Evolution & veridical reality; Fitness payoff functions & homomorphisms.
19 June 2023
Can Consciousness Create Reality? New Experiment to Test CA Theory's Implications
Length 2 hr 11 min
In this conversation: Working with Prakash & Chattophadhyay; Conscious Agents and the Subatomic World; Markovian Dynamical entities beyond Space-Time.
21 December 2023
What is an "Observer"? New Discovery in Search of "One" Consciousness Beyond Reality
Length 2 hr 27 min
26 November 2025
What Are Traces of Consciousness? A New Breakthrough Unifying Mind and Reality
Length 2 hr 49 min
In this conversation: What has changed in Hoffman’s thinking in the last two years?; Why Spacetime Is Doomed: The 2026 Case; Conscious Agents: What’s Changed in the New Theory.
4 February 2026
What is Ultimately Real? Consciousness, Free Energy & Spacetime
Length 2 hr 40 min
In this conversation: What is Ultimately Real? Consciousness vs Physicalism Debate; Why Consciousness is Fundamental Beyond Spacetime; High Energy Physics: Spacetime is Doomed Explained(.