Coming April 2027…

UNLOCKING CONSCIOUSNESS
How Solving the Mystery Could Provoke a Scientific Revolution

Drawing on conversations with some of the world’s leading scientists and philosophers, Annaka Harris takes readers to the frontier of mind and reality, challenging the dominant assumption that consciousness is an emergent property of the brain, and exploring the radical possibility that it is fundamental to the universe itself.

Annaka Harris takes on one of the deepest unanswered questions in science: how consciousness arises in nature. For decades, scientists have assumed that consciousness emerges from complex brain activity. But what if that assumption is wrong?

Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, physics, and philosophy, and on intimate conversations with leading thinkers including Brian Greene, David Eagleman, Anil Seth, and Carlo Rovelli, Harris explores a provocative alternative: that consciousness may be a fundamental feature, like gravity or spacetime, underlying everything in our universe. Once considered fringe, this idea is now gaining traction among leading thinkers.

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EARLY PRAISE FOR UNLOCKING CONSCIOUSNESS

“A thrilling challenge to everything we think we know about mind and matter. Harris is rigorous in the science, elegant in the telling, and astonishing in her implications.”

—DAVID EAGLEMAN, NEUROSCEINTIST AT STANFORD, AUTHOR OF LIVEWIRED AND INCOGNITO

“Harris provides a lucid, thoughtful tour through the ancient question: What is consciousness? Tackling the problem from the multiple viewpoints of physics, neuroscience, philosophy and her own journey through the vital issue, Harris not only offers a cogent account of current thinking on the subject but also elaborates how a solution could force science to re-evaluate its own foundations. This book is an important read for anyone interested in the urgent need to understand the nature of consciousness.”

—ADAM FRANK, ASTROPHYSICIST AND AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BOOK OF ALIENS AND THE BLIND SPOT: WHY SCIENCE CANNOT IGNORE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

LIGHTS ON

AVAILABLE NOW!

LIGHTS ON
How Understanding Consciousness Helps Us Understand the Universe

As accessible as it is awe-inspiring, this exclusive audio documentary by New York Times bestselling author Annaka Harris explores today’s most perplexing questions about our minds and the universe at large.

“A treat that seems to come from its own inexplicable realm. Magnificent.”

SUSAN CAIN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and Quiet

“Get ready for a riveting exploration of what felt experience is… You’ll never think about what happens between your ears in the same way again.”

Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

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PRAISE FOR LIGHTS ON

“A treat that seems to come from its own inexplicable realm. Magnificent.”

—Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and Quiet

“There is no better guide than Annaka Harris to the vast landscapes we encounter when addressing questions about consciousness. Lights On is fascinating, essential, and entertaining—this is a documentary that is not to be missed.”

— Adam Frank, astrophysicist and author of The Little Book of Aliens and Coauthor of The Blind Spot: Why Science cannot ignore human experience

“Annaka Harris weaves together a compelling narrative taking in neuroscience, philosophy, and physics to face up some of the most challenging, and most rewarding, questions that humanity has ever contemplated.”

— ANIL SETH, NEUROSCIENTIST AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BEING YOU

New York Times Bestseller

As accessible and enlightening as Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, this mind-expanding dive into the mystery of consciousness is an illuminating meditation on the self, free will, and felt experience.

“In this gem of a book, Annaka Harris tackles consciousness controversies with incisive rigor and clarity, in a style that’s accessible and captivating.”

**PROF. MAX TEGMARK, AUTHOR OF New York Times bestseller
*LIFE 3.0: Being HUMAN IN THE AGE OF Artificial intelligence***

“CONSCIOUS offers the clearest, most compelling explanation that I’ve seen of consciousness. If you’ve ever wondered how you have the capacity to wonder, some fascinating insights await you in these pages.”

ADAM GRANT, New York Times bestselling AUTHOR OF ORIGINALS

“There is a profound intellectual adventure awaiting the reader of this exquisite book.”

Rebecca Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex

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UNLOCKING CONSCIOUSNESS Is Available for Preorder!

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After the release of LIGHTS ON, I began to play a role addressing the pressing questions regarding consciousness in AI, and it became clear there was a need for a more in-depth analysis in the form of a book.

UNLOCKING CONSCIOUSNESS encompasses the most thorough presentation of my arguments to date, detailing the evolution of my view over two decades. It sits at the intersection of two distinct scientific disciplines—neuroscience and physics—and is structured around the central question: Is consciousness fundamental? And perhaps even more importantly, What would it mean for science if it were?