It all goes back to Aristotle.

I just listened to this fascinating discussion between Dr. Jordan Peterson and Dr. Donald Hoffman. Hoffman is proposing a mathematical theory of reality that holds consciousness as fundamental and views the physical reality our senses perceive ultimately as a construct contained within our minds.

While listening, I was struck by how similar that sounds to Aristotelian metaphysics. At one point, Hoffman states that he believes the most fundamental reality is consciousness, and that consciousness is engaged in thinking about itself. This is remarkably similar to Aristotle's description of the self-existent being, a description which the Christian tradition later applied to God.

Give the interview a listen. Peterson does a great job of setting up other ideas and lines of reasoning in dialogue with Hoffman's theories. I'm definitely putting Hoffman on my "books to read" list.