Annaka Harris: Free Will, Consciousness, and the Nature of Reality | Lex Fridman Podcast #326

Annaka Harris is the author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

EPISODE LINKS:
Annaka's Books:
Annaka's Articles:
Books:

PODCAST INFO:

OUTLINE:
0:00 - Introduction
0:53 - Free will
54:10 - Consciousness
1:24:42 - Depression
1:37:59 - Psychedelics
1:45:58 - Meditation
1:50:22 - Ideas
2:14:08 - AI sentience
2:31:30 - Suffering
2:34:26 - Meaning of life

SOCIAL:

[lexfridman]

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast.
0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions:
0:53 - Free will
54:10 - Consciousness
1:24:42 - Depression
1:37:59 - Psychedelics
1:45:58 - Meditation
1:50:22 - Ideas
2:14:08 - AI sentience
2:31:30 - Suffering
2:34:26 - Meaning of life

[franktothemax]

Every time I listen to Lex talk to guest A, B or C, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that we have somebody like Lex doing what Lex does. I’ve learned so much from these conversations, and I’m just a dumb high school dropout that loves playing guitar.

[Flatlinebeatz]

She gives me a Feeling that everything will be alright.

[deantatlow]

The Harris household must have some great conversations.

[chewyjello]

1:10:52 I'm a nurse and I've noticed that when listening to a patients heart sounds, at first I can't hear every beat until I've listened long enough to understand their rhythm and rate (usually a few seconds)...then my experience of the way their heart sounds changes right then and there. It's because I've gotten enough information to start making predictions. It's eerie how important predictions are to being able to experience the outside word at all.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

I’m still processing the interview with Donald Hoffman. This is perfect timing! Thank you Lex!

[samuelhitchens]

This might be my favorite episode of this podcast. And while I was aware of Annaka, this is my first time hearing her thoughts.
My brain was broke by this episode in the best way.

[derik]

I’m using my free will to leave work early so i can listen to a podcast about free will.

[Tmstyle]

It fills me with joy that so many people around the world are philosophising on these topics, connected by Lex.

Wish you all the best :)

[TheDeadlyDan]

I recall laying on my back in an Indianna field open to the horizon in the late 50's and looking at the stars spread out. Those days you could see by the light of the Milky Way alone, the skies were so dark and clear. I'd think of myself as standing with my back against a wall and looking out instead of up, and I would stare in wonder for hours at the Universe. It never ceased to be a profound experience and all these years later I still do this whenever I can.

I can't honestly remember when I 'discovered' the shape of our planet, if a discovery at all. I've seen globes throughout my life, from my earliest memories. I can't actually recall any time NOT knowing our Earth was a planet, spinning through space around the sun - a star. I grew up in the Sputnik era though, and society was consumed with space at the time. I keep hearing that it's somehow intuitive to think we live on a flat plane. I've never ever had that intuition. In fact, I find it intuitive that we live on a globe. I dont know how this doesn't "feel" right to every other person. It actually feels counter intuitive to think of the Earth as flat. Every experience (in context) tells me otherwise. I don't think Fllat Earth is intuitive at all - I think it's a learned point of view.

[TLeppur]

Reality: Everything Happened(s) at Once. It's All In Our Heads. Our brains evolved to make sense of it by seeing only one moment at a time. That's our 'reality.' Another Great conversation Lex. Thank You.

[AECommonThread]

Every episode is always fantastic, has lovely guests, and continues to evolve.
Lex, it would be really cool if you can try and book Robert Greene, the author. I feel like there would be a fantastic conversation to be had just like all of these

[gregorymiller]

She's charming and has an infectious laugh. Enjoyed this interview.

[GAndrew]

LEX! Only a small percent of the world can enjoy your podcast in English. It would be great to have them dubbed in the other top languages as well. Future adventure, thanks for all your talks

[imafiretruck]

Her eyes never stop smiling. Sam's truly blessed.

[darrenbrown]

We love you Lex and Annaka! You bring positive change to the world.

[GuerillaUnderground]

Being able to grasp the concept of not having free will is actually akin to some kind of Zen; total acceptance of what is and complete lack of attachment to remembered experience. Thank you Annaka Harris!

[tmstani]

Lex you should interview Cixin Liu! He's a brilliant sci-fi author with a physics background who likes to speculate and think about aliens and plausible future tech.

[lilypond]

Her illusion about anxiety being due to things that happened in her life was so relatable.
My mother had schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and I started having depression and social anxiety in middle school to the point of dropping out of school completely.
but it never clicked in my brain that I had the same genetic issue as her, it just seemed like I was having an emotional reactions to her "abuse"
It was only at 19, a year after my mother had passed away, that my dad noticed my strange behaviour and told be to see a doctor, turns out I was having a manic episode.
I had bipolar 2 disorder, and didn't even think once that I had a similar condition to my mother even though I knew it was likely for me to inherit it, because intuition pointed me to believe that it was puberty, it was a reaction to my mother, or it was because my dad wasn't home and wasn't present at that time.
Even my dad blames himself for not noticing and not helping, he thinks he could have stopped me from being this way if he noticed and did something than.
But I know bow that it was genetics, and maybe U wouldn't have been in so much pain in my teens if things were different, but I would still have my disorder

[iangagel]

This is exactly what I needed on a Wednesday. Keep up the amazing work Lex!