About this episode
Dr. Menas Kafatos is The Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational Physics and Director of Excellence at Chapman University. He received his B.A. in Physics from Cornell University in 1967 and his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972. After postdoctoral work at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, he joined George Mason University and was University Professor of Interdisciplinary Sciences there from 1984-2008. He has authored and co-authored numerous books including The Conscious Universe, The Non-local Universe, and Principles of Integrative Science. He is a recipient of the Rustum Roy Award from the Chopra Foundation, which “honors individuals whose devotion and commitment to their passion for finding answers in their field is matched only by their commitment to humanity” and the IEEE Orange County Chapter - Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award. He has been interviewed numerous times by national and international TV networks, newspapers and radio programs. Chapman University Bio Wikipedia Page Books: The Non-Local Universe: The New Physics and Matters of the Mind The Conscious Universe: Parts and Wholes in Physical Reality Looking In, Seeing Out: Consciousness and Cosmos Transcript of this interview Interview conducted 3/15/2014 Menas Kafatos, in Panel Discussion on Kashmir Shaivism YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction: Menas Kefatos and his research interests 00:04:03 - The Nature of Consciousness 00:08:33 - The Nature of Emptiness and Conscious Awareness 00:13:09 - Complementarity: Physics and Mysticism 00:17:32 - Perception of the Self in Others 00:22:02 - The Play of Universal Consciousness 00:25:50 - Transformation after Death 00:29:39 - The Collapse of the Quantum World 00:33:43 - Division and Complementarity 00:37:38 - The Evolution of Consciousness and Complementarity 00:41:46 - The Play of Existence 00:45:46 - Consciousness and the Hard Problem 00:49:53 - The Observer and the Act of Observation 00:53:53 - The Conscious Universe 00:57:45 - Quantum Principles Applicable to Everyday Life 01:00:48 - The Principle of Complementarity 01:04:14 - Non-locality and complementarity 01:08:21 - Non-locality and the Infinitely Correlated Nature of Creation 01:11:32 - The Interconnectedness of Principles 01:14:53 - The Emergence of the Pauli Exclusion Principle 01:18:50 - The Awareness of Atoms and Electron Interaction 01:22:48 - Unity in Diversity and the Bigger Picture 01:26:28 - The Conscious Universe and Universal Intelligence 01:30:12 - The Meaning and Purpose of Life 01:34:01 - Consciousness and the Clockwork Universe 01:37:23 - The Many Perspectives of Reality 01:40:57 - The Psi Phenomenon and Scientific Research 01:43:57 - The Debate on Climate Change and Global Warming 01:47:29 - Catastrophic Implications and Irreversible Damage 01:50:07 - The Conflict Between Environmentalism and Fossil Fuel Industry 01:52:45 - The Intelligent Universe