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What is consciousness? It’s the most intimate aspect of our existence and yet the most elusive.
We constantly inhabit this aware presence—the very awareness reading these words now—but when we attempt to grasp, define, or locate consciousness within the brain, the mystery slips through our fingers like smoke.
My guest today is Annaka Harris, returning five years after our first conversation. As the New York Times bestselling author of “CONSCIOUS” and creator of the audio series “Lights On,” Annaka works at the intersection of neuroscience, physics, and philosophy. Since our last discussion, both our perspectives have evolved considerably. What began as an intellectual curiosity has transformed—partly through Annaka’s influence and my deepening meditation practice—into my favorite exploration. This isn’t abstract philosophizing; understanding consciousness illuminates the fundamental nature of reality and brings meaning to human existence in profound, counterintuitive ways.
“I’m becoming convinced that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe.”
– ANNAKA HARRIS
Today, we discuss:
- Is Consciousness Fundamental to Reality?
- The Illusion of Self & Separateness
- Space-Time as an Emergent Property
- My Transformative Psychedelic Experience
- The Limitations of Human Perception
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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- Connect With Annaka: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
- Latest Book: Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind* by Annaka Harris
- Children’s Book: I Wonder* by Annaka Harris
- Guided meditations for children: Inner Kids on The Waking Up App
- YouTube: Making Sense with Sam Harris #159 – Conscious (with Annaka Harris) | Sam Harris
- YouTube: Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind by Annaka Harris | HarperBooks
- YouTube: The Double Slit experiment explained! By Jim Al-Khalili
- NBC News: Is the Universe Conscious?
- Singularity Hub: Exploring the Great Mysteries of Consciousness and Free Will With Annaka Harris
- Duke University Press: The Philosophical Review: What Is It Like To Be A Bat? by Thomas Nagel
- Essay: Spirituality and Intellectual Honesty by Thomas Metzinger
- The Embryo Project: Roger Sperry’s Split Brain Experiments (1959–1968)
- Farnam Street: Who’s in Charge of Our Minds? The Interpreter
- TED Talk: How Trees Talk To Each Other | Suzanne Simard |TEDSummit
- Book: The Order of Time* by Carlo Rovelli
- Book: On Having No Head* by Douglas Harding
- Book: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death* by Jean-Dominique Bauby
- Book: The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes* by Donald D. Hoffman
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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Jason Camiolo for audio engineering, production, show notes and interstitial music; with additional audio engineering by Cale Curtis and additional music by Moby; Dan Drake & Morgan McCrae for video, & editing; graphics by graphics by Alejandro Ribadeneira & Bryan Lawrence; portraits by Davy Greenberg; copywriting by Ben Pryor; and theme music by Tyler Piatt, Trapper Piatt & Hari Mathis.
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