491. Mark Gober

Mark Gober is a best-selling author, a Partner at Sherpa Technology Group in Silicon Valley, a former investment banker with UBS in New York, and former captain of the Princeton tennis team. His worldview was turned upside down in late 2016 when he was exposed to world-changing science which suggested that, contrary to mainstream assumptions, consciousness is not produced by the brain. After researching extensively, he wrote An End to Upside Down Thinking: Dispelling the Myth That the Brain Produces Consciousness, and the Implications for Everyday Life to introduce the general public to these cutting-edge ideas -- all in an effort to encourage a much-needed global shift in scientific and existential thinking. Mark's book has been endorsed by leading thinkers such as former Harvard neurosurgeon Eben Alexander, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Pixar founder Loren Carpenter, Institute of Noetic Sciences Chief Scientist Dr. Dean Radin, University of Virginia professor of neurobehavioral sciences Dr. Ed Kelly, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, Guru Singh, Chicken Soup for the Soul author Jack Canfield, actress Goldie Hawn, and many others. Website: markgober.com Summary and transcript of this interview. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Interview recorded February 16, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:30 - Background and Transition into Writing 00:08:09 - A Shift in Worldview 00:11:50 - Paradigm Shifts and Anomalies 00:15:15 - Anomalies in Science 00:18:58 - The Fundamental Nature of Consciousness 00:22:42 - Understanding the Limits of Our Perceptual Systems 00:26:22 - Studies on Psychic Spies during the Cold War 00:29:55 - Repression in the Scientific Community 00:33:29 - The Importance of Publishing Studies on Psychic Phenomena 00:37:08 - Assumptions about Reality and their Impact 00:40:35 - The Illusion of Materialism 00:43:45 - The Connection between Materialism and Spiritual Practice 00:47:10 - The Consciousness of the Brain 00:50:37 - Reflection and Settled Mind 00:54:19 - Anomalous Occurrences and Spiritual Practices 00:57:53 - Humility and Open-Mindedness 01:01:36 - The Qualities of Consciousness 01:04:56 - Modulations of Consciousness 01:08:32 - Awareness independent of biology 01:12:20 - The Play of Consciousness 01:16:16 - Evaluating Anomalies and Questioning the Paradigm 01:19:56 - Free Will and Consciousness 01:23:58 - Research on Reincarnation at the University of Virginia 01:27:30 - Reincarnation and the Continuity of Consciousness 01:30:52 - Reincarnation and Continuity 01:34:32 - The Nature of Altruism 01:37:56 - Is Time Linear? 01:41:25 - Discussing Predicting the Future and Psychic Phenomena 01:45:02 - Nonlinear Effects and Shifting Consciousness