In this first chapter of LIGHTS ON, Annaka provides the audience with a guided tour of the neuroscience and philosophy of consciousness. It is, in part, a review of the material in her book Conscious, but the hope is that even listeners who are familiar with the book and the literature in consciousness studies will enjoy going back to the basics—and might even discover a slightly new perspective. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com
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PREVIEW: CHAPTER 2: Is Consciousness Fundamental?
Could treating consciousness as a fundamental property of the universe help us better understand any of the current theories of quantum gravity? Or, alternately, do any of the established understandings in fundamental physics rule out the possibility that consciousness is fundamental? Is this even a type of knowledge we can ever obtain? Will we be able to design scientific experiments that can provide evidence to support one conclusion over another?
In Chapter 2, Annaka speaks with philosopher Philip Goff and astrophysicist Adam Frank about the implications of the controversial question: Is consciousness fundamental? Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com
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PREVIEW: CHAPTER 3: The Dance
In order to think more deeply about the hypothesis that consciousness is fundamental and help guide the philosophy, Annaka needs to better understand the physics and the different interpretations of quantum mechanics. So in Chapter 3, she speaks to three physicists—Sean Carroll, Brian Greene, and Janna Levin. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com
Philosophy and science share a common commitment: seeking truth, along with a willingness to upend one’s intuitions in order to accept an answer that might feel uncomfortable or counterintuitive. The relationship between philosophy and science is like a dance—philosophy poses questions that help steer the science, and science makes discoveries that inform or overturn the philosophy.
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PREVIEW: CHAPTER 4: Plants and Parasites
Most of us share the intuition that plants aren’t conscious. But when we look more closely at plant behaviors that fall into the surprisingly similar behavioral categories we might call pain, fear, or even love, we can ask ourselves why we think consciousness is necessary for certain behavior in animals, but not in plants. Is it possible that any behavior in plants is accompanied by felt experience? In Chapter 4, Annaka talks to plant geneticist Daniel Chamovitz, neuroscientist Patrick House, and science writer Zoë Schlanger about the wonderful world of plants and parasites. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com
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PREVIEW: CHAPTER 5: The Self
In Chapter 5, Annaka walks the audience through her personal experience of attending a silent meditation retreat and dropping the illusion of self in meditation. She then speaks with two neuroscientists, Anil Seth and David Eagleman, about the experience of self at the level of the brain. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com
A chapter-by-chapter preview of LIGHTS ON, an audio-exclusive documentary by New York Times bestselling author Annaka Harris, available wherever you get your audiobooks. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com
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