6min chapter

The Jim Rutt Show cover image

EP 178 Anil Seth on A New Science of Consciousness

The Jim Rutt Show

CHAPTER

The Beast Machine in Descartes' Book

Having a personality is completely compatible with their being aspects of selfhood, but just not the same kind of self that we humans have. For Descartes, it was the presence of a rational mind conscious rational mind that was all important. And I think entirely the opposite is the case that we are conscious and we have conscious selves because of our living flesh and blood beast machine nature. The reason that brains are prediction machines is fundamentally because the basic biological imperative is drive to stay alive. All the predictive machinery then allows us to perceive the world and other more elaborate aspects of the self evolve from moment to moment in light of this fundamental drive to stay Alive.

00:00

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode