PREVIEW: CHAPTER 2: Is Consciousness Fundamental?

In this concluding chapter, we drop in on a talk Annaka gave at a 2023 conference titled “Treating Consciousness as Fundamental,” in which she presents alongside other LIGHTS ON guests: Lee Smolin, Donald Hoffman, Sean Carroll, and Philip Goff. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com Annaka describes the evolution of her thinking over the course of working on this documentary series. She elaborates further on ways we might expand our methods of scientific experiment, while laying out her prediction about a scientific paradigm shift that is possibly underway.

At the heart of science, we face an utterly perplexing question: What is physics describing? What is it fundamentally about? What are the natural laws, laws of? Annaka explores these larger than life questions in Chapter 9 through conversations with astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker and cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com From the perspective of physics, the fundamental stuff of the universe still eludes us, especially if we try to fit the findings of quantum mechanics into a traditional conception of matter and energy. From the perspective of neuroscience, we’ve learned that the world “out there” is not a direct perception, and our perceptions may have even evolved to hide the truth from us, as Donald Hoffman argues. And then from the perspective of the philosophy of mind, Annaka’s own research, reading, and further thinking leads her to believe that consciousness is more likely a fundamental property than an emergent one. But how might the sciences attempt to move forward with the hypothesis that consciousness is fundamental? Can we ever conceivably acquire evidence or validate it experimentally?

In this explosive chapter, Annaka explores the concept of space, how it's constructed, and what our experiences of space might represent in reality. She speaks with two physicists, Carlo Rovelli and Lee Smolin, along with the science writer George Musser, to learn more about what it means for space to be emergent. They also discuss whether or not time might also be an emergency property of something more fundamental. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com Annaka—initially skeptical about the significance of subjective experiences in meditation—was surprised to find these experiences can sometimes reveal deeper insights into scientific truth. Through her collaboration with neuroscientists, she learned how our perceptions of reality are largely indirect, often described as "controlled hallucinations," according to Anil Seth. However, disciplined attention to our immediate experiences can sometimes alter our perceptions of space, time, and self, offering a potentially clearer view of reality. This leads her down a path of jaw-dropping exploration about the true nature of space and time.

In Chapter 7, Annaka focuses on the role memory plays in both psychological continuity and in the feeling of being a “subject” of conscious experiences. Through conversations with neuroscientist Christof Koch, psychologist Susan Blackmore, and meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein she continues to peel back the layers of the construction of “self'” in the context of neuroscience and a deeper exploration of meditation practice. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com

In Chapter 6, Annaka contemplates where the sensory addition work of neuroscientists, such as David Eagleman, might lead. She also explores new ways science might expand in order to address questions about consciousness. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com Tools like microscopes uncover vast worlds that were previously hidden from us—we could hardly grasp the reality of invisible organisms before the microscope allowed us to perceive them, let alone the realms that have been revealed through telescopes and particle colliders. What tools might we discover in the future to help us reach beyond the familiar experimental neuroscience we have relied on so far?

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

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

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.

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

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