Is consciousness an illusion? (video)

Kmele Foster, Dispatches from The Well, Big Think, Jan. 11, 2024; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Jump real spiritual answers from Hindu monk Swami Sarvapriyananda, Vedanta Society. New York

Is consciousness an illusion? 5 experts explain

(Big Think) “If science aims to describe everything, how can it not describe the simple fact of our existence?”

On this episode of Dispatches, Kmele Foster speaks with the scientists, mathematicians, and spiritual leaders trying to do just that.

This video is an episode from @The-Well, a publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @JohnTempletonFoundation.

Subscribe to The Well on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/thewell-youtube Watch the full podcast now ► • Dispatches from The Well. In the newest episode of Dispatches from The Well, we’re diving deep into the “hard problem of consciousness.”

Here, Kmele Foster combines the perspectives of five different scientists, philosophers, and spiritual leaders to approach one of humanity’s most pressing questions: What is consciousness?

In the AI age, the question of consciousness is more prevalent than ever. Is every single thing in the universe self-aware? What does it actually mean to be conscious? Are our bodies really just a vessel for our thoughts?

Foster asks these and many more questions in the most thought-provoking episode yet. This is Dispatches from The Well. Featuring: Sir Roger Penrose, Christof Koch, Melanie Mitchell, Reid Hoffman, Swami Sarvapriyananda.

Read video transcript ► bigthink.com/the-well/dispatc...

ABOUT: Kmele Foster is a media entrepreneur, commentator, and regular contributor to various national publications. He is the co-founder and co-host of The Fifth Column, a popular media criticism podcast. He is the head of content at Founders Fund, a San Francisco based venture capital firm investing in companies building revolutionary technologies, and a partner at Freethink, a digital media company focused on the people and ideas changing our world. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

• Read more from The Well:
• Actually, neuroscience suggests the “self” is real ► https://bigthink.com/the-well/actuall...
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can illuminate the debate over generative AI ► https://bigthink.com/the-well/mary-sh...
• Few of us desire true equality. It’s time to own up to it ► https://bigthink.com/the-well/few-des...

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