Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

#404 - What If Consciousness Is Fundamental?

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Mar 25, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Annaka Harris, a New York Times bestselling author and producer of the audio documentary series "Lights On," delves into the mysteries of consciousness and its potential fundamental role in the universe. She and Sam discuss the hard problem of consciousness, exploring what split-brain patients reveal about our awareness. They also examine how modern physics challenges our understanding of space and time, suggesting these concepts might be emergent rather than fundamental. The dialogue encourages listeners to reimagine reality itself.

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ANECDOTE

Violet's Interview Advice

Annaka Harris shares a story about her daughter Violet's advice for her podcast interview.
Violet, unsure about interviews, simply advises, "Don't cry."

INSIGHT

The Hard Problem of Consciousness

Consciousness is defined by internal experience, unlike externally observable phenomena like light or life.
The hard problem asks how non-conscious matter can create subjective experience.

ANECDOTE

Annaka's Shift in Understanding

Annaka initially struggled with the hard problem, arguing for physicalism.
Sam Harris helped her understand its unique challenge, inspiring the series title "Lights On."

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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.

Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. Annaka is the author of the children’s book I Wonder, coauthor of the Mindful Games Activity Cards, and a volunteer mindfulness teacher for the organization Inner Kids.

Website: https://annakaharris.com/

X: @annakaharris

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