Consciousness is a fundamental force of physics | Annaka Harris and Lex Fridman

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GUEST BIO:
Annaka Harris is the author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind.

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[Nickname_]

In the search for the truth one should always leave enough space for doubt.

[Ranti]

When people speak of consciousness they always speak of the content of consciousness. A sense, an emotion, intuition, etc. that is all what you are conscious of. It is not consciousness itself. Consciousness is before the mind so it is out of reach for the mind.

[scooble]

One could suggest that information is fundamental and that consciousness is an emergent property of information that is processed in 'strange' complex ways

[sethbeckner]

Being self-conscious is the universe experiencing itself experiencing itself.

[ashalouise]

These two people are very extremely smart. 🎶 👂 🎶 to them. Love Asha ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

[TheDeadlyDan]

I like that. Consciousness requires the flow of time, but the flow of time doesn't require a consciousness.

[liamlieblein]

Something to consider when talking about consciousness in this way is the different modes of consciousness one may possess. For example, you may categorize consciousness into 3 key modalities (I do not assume this is the only way to divide it, but it is a useful starting point):
Abstract
Conceptual
Experiential

The abstract modality of consciousness is what allows you to analyze and piece together ideas about what is going on around you. Having an idea what these words mean through the remembered connections in your brain, piecing them together with other strings of words to deduce their meaning etc.

The conceptual modality of consciousness is what allows you to interpret and particularize the world around you. Conceptualizing the distinct shape of these words, the type of sound they make in your head as you read them, the kind of feeling the ground makes on your feet, back, or bottom.

The experiential modality of consciousness is what allows you to contextualize and express the meaning of the world around you. Experiencing the essence of the sight of these words, the essence of their meaning in your mind, the essence of sound they make as you read them etc.

Now, consider if we were to take away the abstract modality. You would no longer be able to remember or piece together the world around you, but you would still have a distinct perspective of it and a way to express it meaningfully and qualitatively. This might be what it is like for an atom, with the main difference being that it can only conceptualize the force of electrons on it's shell and perhaps the quarks within itself, giving an essential meaning to this conceptualization. Perhaps it may be analogous to feeling around, as the shape of the atoms electron shell changes with it's interaction with other atoms, forming molecules. A feeling of repulsion, then attraction. A feeling of your silhouette, your borders.

Now take away the conceptual modality. All there is is the meaning itself, no distinct perspective to contain it; your entire existence is an ever changing sea of expression that permeates all around you. In fact, it is all you are. This may be what it is like to be an electron, which lacks any distinct position let alone a position that detects other positions (except when interacting with other particles). The essential feeling of the electron may simply be one of attraction and repulsion, made distinct only when interacting with other electromagnetic forces.

In this way, you can come to understand how consciousness could be fundamental by constituting the inner essence of every and anything in different modalities depending on the composition of that thing. And even though we may not fully understand this essence, it will be analogous to our own, since we are all essentially the same at the fundamental level.

Just another way of getting at some of the ideas expressed in the clip. Hope it helps :)

[Abah-cuh-bus]

So is there a consciousness field and would matter interact with it? I guess you could build a model where complexity with specific properties interacts with the consciousness field more and becomes more conscious.

[continuetothrive]

We all have two lives the one we live and the one that we are capable of.

[DrySandal]

Consciousness something most americans are searching for
-Artem 🐐 Lobov

[fatalinsomna]

Consciousness can be a part of the universe without being fundamental. Yet it is a part of the universe regardless, and maybe one of the ultimate forms of the universe giving that consciousness itself is something completely unique and amazing as far as matter goes. Who knows what the upper limits of it are and what it will become? We will probably not know until we know. Still lots of work to be done on the mathematical side. Physics is still very much an open and interesting field of study.

[Skankhunt.]

I had qualia and experienced another state of consciousness with additional sensors the other night after taking quarter of a jar of shrooms

[blengi]

how does a universe "know" it's implementing the laws of physics? It's almost like it has to be a priori "aware" of its own existence to exist. Some might say it's a mathematically prescribed a priori and therefore inevitable, but how does mathematics "know" what its axiomatic foundations are to be a priori "aware" of its own existence too? But then some one might add a priori all the axiomatic mathematical possibilities just are, but how or what is able "know" they "are" for them come to exist and so on and so on? It's like awareness/consciousness has to be an a priori element implicitly.

[miniminerx]

The most real fact abt the universe we can dedice is that qualia exists because i feel it OR the reader of this messege feels it.

[davidjones]

I’ve never been more attracted to a woman😂🧠

[Dr.Jekyll_]

You can’t prove consciousness using science.

[MihaiLatYoutube]

Consciousness as in nature, or the physical universe is a mechanism. What does it mean really ? The matrix movie was good, consciousness is like the matrix movie on steroids, in a good way. Take your pill.

[davidrandell]

The most ubiquitous ‘thing ‘ is : life, light, love, gravity? Gravity. Here these wits are profoundly and pathetically ignorant. Why babble these inanities. Max Stirner/ Landstreicher “ The Unique and Its Property “ with the “creative nothing “ is still - after 178 years- the better ‘answer.’

[mandarkumthekar]

Consciousness is computational, case closed.

[Jeremy-Ai]

I agree.
Consciousness is fundamental.
The problem is its just so damn hard to apply this knowledge to our daily lives. Perhaps Consciousness is a “ fundamental phenomenon”by design… and by design unknowable for a reason?
It appears this way to me.
Thx Lex