Steve's Reviews > Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Everything

The title, Why Materialism is Baloney, made me wonder whether I wanted to read Bernardo Kastrup’s book. Materialism is one of the many philosophical options for understanding the nature of reality and human consciousness, and Kastrup’s title seemed prematurely dismissive and antagonistic. And the subtitle, How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Everything [sic, seemed overly arrogant. But I have to say I found the book mostly riveting reading.

Kastrup challenges the prevailing materialistic worldview of science and argues that reality extends beyond physical matter. In fact, he argues that everything is consciousness. Consciousness is fundamental to reality, and by that, he means that consciousness is all there is. This radical philosophy of reality is called idealism and Kastrup asserts that this perspective can offer us profound insights into life, death, and the nature of the universe. He blends philosophy, science, and spirituality in his attempt to provide a holistic understanding of existence that counters materialist scepticism.

There is no doubt that Why Materialism Is Baloney is offering a highly innovative perspective. The book offers a fresh take on consciousness and reality, challenging what Kastrup sees as deeply entrenched materialist views, especially in science. Through the combining of different disciplines, Kastrup has provided a well-rounded argument. And as I read the book, it stimulated some deep thinking about fundamental questions about life, death, and the universe.

Kastrup is, on the whole, a clear writer and presents complex ideas in an engaging and accessible manner. And while, as I said, the title had initially put me off, I had to eventually admit that his strong, well-reasoned arguments were difficult to dismiss outright.

But I do have some issues with the book. Quite a few assertions in the book are very radical, and if one currently believes that the materialist view is the best explanation, then the arguments Kastrup presents are probably not going to be convincing. There are times when Kastrup seems to be cherry-picking evidence to support his claims.

There is also quite a bit of repetition in the book, which made me wonder whether some parts of the book were redundant, and the further I progressed through the book, I got bored and skimmed some parts. And while I have no problem with philosophical reasoning in support of ideas (in fact, I love it!) and given that Kastrup is so trenchantly antimaterialist and claims that his ideas are highly consistent with contemporary physics, I would have expected more empirical evidence than what he presents.

Kastrup raises and explores some fascinating questions as part of his argument, for example:

- What is the true nature of consciousness, and how does it relate to the physical world?
- Can reality exist independently of material objects, and if so, how can we understand it?
- If consciousness is fundamental, what implications does this have for the concept of life after death?
- How do we balance healthy scepticism with openness to non-materialist perspectives?

These are deep and complex questions, and I admire Kastrup for tackling them, and his answers are certainly interesting. But I do wonder whether his dismissal of materialism may be oversimplified and whether he has really offered enough evidence to reject the robust empirical support for materialism. I would have liked to have seen more attention paid to this issue.

Despite some of the issues I have with Materialism is Baloney, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I think it’s an important perspective to engage with, and I would love to see a critique of this book by someone well-versed in philosophy and science. If you’re interested in philosophy, consciousness studies, and spirituality, I think you’ll like this book. But one needs to be open-minded and willing to explore ideas beyond conventional materialism. It’s a challenging read, and I’d recommend the book to mature teenagers and adults who can grasp and appreciate complex philosophy.