I attempted another bite-sized post, this time on the twin illusions of self / conscious will:
Decision-making is a process in nature. And a beautiful one at that, in which the ever-changing dance of electrical firing in the brain is in constant dialog with the outside world and other beings…
This post is a brief response to the claim that “we have evidence consciousness is brain-based.” The full case requires more text, but I made an attempt at a bite-sized version here:
Until we attain a significantly more advanced understanding of the brain, and of many other systems in nature for that matter, we’re forced to begin with one of two assumptions: either consciousness arises at some point in the physical world, or it is a fundamental part of the physical world (some, or all)…
The more closely we observe the present moment, the more amorphous it becomes. It vanishes as we reach out to touch it, transforming into the next moment, and the next… When we look out at the ocean, we naturally perceive the waves while understanding (both intellectually and intuitively) that there is no real “thing” that is a wave. The concept is useful shorthand for a dynamic phenomenon that occurs in nature. So too with the human brain, which is an ever-changing symphony of electrical firing among billions of neurons…
Click here to continue reading my article in Nautilus Magazine, “What is Time?”
I’m excited to announce that TED is going to be producing a pilot for my audio doc series on consciousness! I’m thrilled to begin collaborating with the TED podcast network on crafting a show out of my 30+ interviews with scientists and thought leaders such as, David Eagleman, Anil Seth, Janna Levin, Brian Greene, Philip Goff, Sean Carroll, Daniel Chamovitz, Patrick_ House, George Musser, Sue Blackmore, Donald Hoffman, Adam Frank, Joseph Goldstein, Julia Sweeney, Maggie Rowe, Lee Smolin, Mia Maestro, Jessica Flack, and more. Stay tuned for further announcements…
The conclusion we draw about life, once we understand the reductionist story is: There’s nothing fundamentally new going on—all the ingredients were always there. “Life” is just molecules behaving like molecules under certain conditions (beginning with the ability to self-replicate). No injection of a magical tonic is required to breathe life into those atoms….
Click here to continue reading my post on the life / consciousness analogy