James Glattfelder - The Sapient Cosmos: A Modern-Day Synthesis of Science and Philosophy

This presentation was part of the virtual Nova Campfire, “In Search of Consciousness: New Frontiers in Science, Wisdom, and the Nature of Reality,” leading thinkers explored the frontiers of consciousness,” held on September 24, 2025. In a time when science and society are both confronting the limits of material explanations, this conversation invited us to consider consciousness not as a byproduct of the brain, but as foundational to reality itself. Drawing from neuroscience, psychiatry, physics, philosophy, and personal experience, our panelists explored the nature of consciousness. Perspectives included spirituality, near-death experiences, and insight aligned with ancestral and Indigenous wisdom from beyond one’s immediate location or personal experiences.

About this speaker:
James B. Glattfelder is an author, academic, and quantitative researcher interested in the foundations of reality, the nature of consciousness, and the limits of knowledge. His latest book, The Sapient Cosmos: What a Modern-Day Synthesis of Science and Philosophy Teaches Us about the Emergence of Information, Consciousness, and Meaning chronicles an ongoing paradigm shift affecting physics and philosophy. James holds an MSc in theoretical physics and a PhD in complexity science. For sixteen years, he worked in the traditional finance industry next to the distributed ledger ecosystem and was also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich. He enjoys sharing his work at international academic and non-academic events, and multiple media outlets have featured his research. James lives in Zurich, Switzerland.