Science is shattering our intuitions about consciousness | Annaka Harris

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Oct 24, 2025

Annaka Harris, a New York Times bestselling author and producer of the audio documentary series LIGHTS ON, explores the intriguing realms of consciousness. She proposes that consciousness might not just be a product of the human brain but rather a fundamental aspect of the universe. The podcast discusses mind-boggling stories such as a man writing a book with his eyelid and the eerie idea that plants might possess consciousness. Harris prompts us to reconsider our intuitions about awareness and contemplate what else may be conscious around us.

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INSIGHT

Consciousness as a Fundamental Force

Consciousness might not arise only from complex brain processing but could be a fundamental force like gravity.
This perspective shifts how we view all forms of processing in nature as potentially involving some type of felt experience.

INSIGHT

Consciousness Beyond Thought

Consciousness is about felt experience and awareness, not necessarily complex thought.
Simple organisms and infants can have consciousness without the ability to think.

INSIGHT

Challenging Intuitions About Consciousness

Intuitively, we believe we can detect consciousness from behavior and that consciousness drives our actions.
Both assumptions are questioned by contemporary neuroscience findings.

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**What If Everything Around You Is Conscious?** 🤯

What if consciousness isn’t just something that emerges from the human brain—but a fundamental part of the universe, like gravity? Neuroscience is uncovering shocking truths that challenge everything we think we know about awareness.

From the mind-bending story of a man who wrote an entire book with just his eyelid to the eerie possibility that consciousness might exist in plants, Annaka Harris takes us on a journey that will leave you questioning reality itself.

Are we seeing the world all wrong? And if so… what else might be conscious? 🌍👀

**Listen now to have your mind blown.** 🎧🔥

"Is it possible that consciousness is a much more basic phenomenon in nature and is essentially pervading everything?"

Consciousness is everything we know, everything we experience. The mystery at the heart of consciousness lies in why our universe – despite teeming with non-conscious matter – is configured in a way where it's having a felt experience from the inside. Modern neuroscience suggests that our intuitions about consciousness are incorrect. And so, it's possible that we've been thinking about consciousness the wrong way entirely, says bestselling author Annaka Harris. If this is true, then consciousness may not be something that arises out of complex processing in brains, says Harris. Consciousness could be a much more basic phenomenon in nature, an all-pervading force, like gravity. If we think of it in these terms, we can imagine that all types of processing in nature could include some type of felt experience.Timestamps: 0:00: The mystery of consciousness 1:31: What is consciousness?3:31: Ask these 2 questions8:37: Which systems entail suffering?

About Annaka Harris: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 forthcoming 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.

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