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cover of episode #404 — What If Consciousness Is Fundamental?

#404 — What If Consciousness Is Fundamental?

2025/3/25
logo of podcast Making Sense with Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris
AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
A
Annaka Harris
C
Carlo Rovelli
G
George Musser
L
Lee Smolin
S
Sam Harris
Topics
Annaka Harris: 我长期以来一直与神经科学家合作，对大脑的工作原理有了深入的了解。这让我相信，我们对意识的许多假设都是错误的。例如，我们常常认为意识是因果关系的根源，但研究表明，意识体验往往发生在脑部处理过程的末尾，而不是其启动者。我们对意识的理解是基于我们自身的经验，但这种经验可能具有误导性。我们假设意识源于复杂的信息处理，但这可能是一个错误的假设。我们没有充分的证据支持意识只存在于宇宙中某些事物的假设。如果意识是基本属性，那么我们认为“潜意识”的东西可能只是我们没有记忆的其他意识体验。如果意识是基本属性，那么仍然难以解释这些部分如何结合产生看似独立的意识单元。更有用的是将意识体验视为在宇宙中产生和消逝的，有些体验比其他体验包含更多内容。如果意识是基本的，那么我们对宇宙的理解将会发生根本性的转变。通过直接体验其他系统和力量，我们有可能更多地了解世界运作的方式。 Sam Harris: 智能和生命等科学可以解释的事物，可以通过其外在属性来定义，而意识则不同，它具有内在属性。如果意识是基本属性，那么我们对现实的理解可能受到我们感知系统和语言概念的限制。 George Musser: 量子物理学并非仅仅是微观世界的理论，而是关于一切的理论。我们观察到的空间可能是某种底层结构的产物，而不是预先存在的空间。全息原理表明，看似遥远的距离实际上可能是能量的差异。 Lee Smolin: 如果意识是基本属性，那么它就是因果关系的一部分，而不是独立于因果关系之外的。 Carlo Rovelli: 在我的量子引力理论中，没有时间变量，但事情仍然会发生。我们体验到的时间是多种因素共同作用的结果，包括神经科学和心理学因素。量子力学告诉我们，事物的属性在于它们如何影响其他事物，而不是它们本身。时间是我们对一系列相互关联的过程的命名，而不是过程本身。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the hard problem of consciousness, questioning whether consciousness is fundamental to the universe. It examines the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic definitions of consciousness in relation to the physical world, using examples such as sight and color perception to highlight the mystery of subjective experience.
  • The hard problem of consciousness questions how subjective experience arises from non-conscious matter.
  • Consciousness is intrinsically defined and only evident from the inside.
  • The 'strong assumption' is that consciousness arises from complex processing in brains, but there's no strong evidence for this.

Shownotes Transcript

Sam Harris speaks with his wife, Annaka Harris, about LIGHTS ON), her ten-part audio documentary exploring the perplexities of consciousness and the cosmos. They discuss the hard problem of consciousness, whether consciousness is fundamental, what split-brain patients can teach us about consciousness, what consciousness being fundamental could mean for the world of physics, and other topics. After Annaka’s conversation with Sam, we present an excerpt from LIGHTS ON. Chapter 8: Space and Time) features author and science writer George Musser, as well as physicists Lee Smolin and Carlo Rovelli. Annaka draws on their noted expertise to explore some of the most mystifying conclusions in quantum theory, how they may validate certain meditative insights, and the ways in which they challenge our basic understanding of reality. Everyday experience tells us that space fills the universe; that causes have effects across time; that the future exists only as potential; that consciousness is confined to intelligent creatures, rather than fundamental to the very structure of being. These bedrock assumptions, when examined through both modern physics and contemplative practices, prove surprisingly fragile—and the fabric of existence profoundly counterintuitive.   If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe). Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up) app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.