Consciousness Uncovered

Sign in Subscribe

Latest

Consciousness in Nature: Evolving Understandings of the Natural World

Consciousness in Nature: Evolving Understandings of the Natural World

Recently I heard neuroscientist Anil Seth say he longs for a naturalistic explanation of consciousness. I think most people who are serious on the topic and engage with science and philosophy share this longing. The challenge is that we all have different ideas what we mean by “nature”, and the

The Limits of Perception Aren’t the Limits of Reality

The Limits of Perception Aren’t the Limits of Reality

In our quest to understand the world, we often mix concepts and end up confused. One confusion I’ve noticed frequently, both in research papers and popular discussions, is the idea that imperfect perception undermines the existence of reality. Just because I can’t fully trust my senses doesn’t

Are We More Than Our Brains? (Revisited)

Are We More Than Our Brains? (Revisited)

The foundational question: René Descartes famously declared, "I think, therefore I am," linking existence indelibly to consciousness. While we intuitively accept the reality of our own existence and identity, understanding the "I" in that equation remains elusive for academia. The concepts of "I" and

A Second Look: What Happens during NDEs

A Second Look: What Happens during NDEs

Today's guest blogger, Omar Fakhoury, a reader of this blog, brings attention to a point that deserved more emphasis from a recent post: Glimpses of the Beyond: Exploring Near-Death Experiences When we look at NDEs and whether they’re “real” or not, the best thing we can ask

Glimpses of the Beyond: Exploring Near-Death Experiences

Glimpses of the Beyond: Exploring Near-Death Experiences

Have you ever thought about what happens after we die? Is there something beyond this life? Let’s explore that mystery through Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), using After a book by Dr. Bruce Greyson — a leading expert on NDEs. Let’s be clear from the start: No one can definitively prove

The Ongoing Debate on Mental and Physical Interaction

The Ongoing Debate on Mental and Physical Interaction

How the mental and the physical interact: Physical events, such as when blood sugar drops too low, can cause the mental effect of the person feeling confused, disoriented, or irritable; and mental events, such as feeling embarrassed, often cause a physical reaction, such as blushing. It's hard to

Do You See Blue or Green?

Do You See Blue or Green?

Have you ever questioned whether the colors you see are the same as what others perceive? The web app ismy.blue lets you explore this intriguing question by testing whether a displayed color appears blue or green to you, revealing fascinating differences in individual color perception. Ready to explore your

Can We Truly Investigate Subjective Experience?

Can We Truly Investigate Subjective Experience?

I have been reading Subjective Experience: Its Fate in Psychology, Psychoanalysis, and Philosophy of Mind, a book by psychologist Morris Eagle. In it, he highlights that in 1991, the late Daniel Dennett advocated a behaviorist stance, arguing that subjective experience is uninvestigable due to its private nature. Dennett writes: "

We Are Not Machines

We Are Not Machines

Using metaphors: As humans, we love metaphors since they help us make sense of complex ideas. Metaphors in consciousness studies: Every era of consciousness studies has had its metaphors to help us fathom the perplexity of first-person subjective experience (consciousness). It is the engineer in us that reduces the problem

Life Without Mental Imagery: Exploring Aphantasia

Life Without Mental Imagery: Exploring Aphantasia

Try this experiment: Close your eyes. Try to visualize an apple. What do you see? How clear is the apple? How much detail can you see on your apple? What color is it? Does it contain a droplet of water or a reflection? What is the apple sitting on? What

Introducing the Perception Box

Introducing the Perception Box

What is the Perception Box? It’s a metaphor for our subjective experience of reality. The box includes our thoughts, experiences, and dreams. It helps us understand how our beliefs, biases, and narratives shape our perception. We each live in our own Perception Box, which colors our experiences. The term

The Urgency of Defining Consciousness in the Age of AI

The Urgency of Defining Consciousness in the Age of AI

The big picture: A recent study found that most people think AI systems like ChatGPT have conscious experiences similar to humans. This belief isn't too surprising since these systems use first-person pronouns and communicate in ways that mimic human speech. However, when directly asked, ChatGPT clearly states it

The Revival of Panpsychism

The Revival of Panpsychism

Panpsychism, the idea that everything possesses consciousness, is making a surprising comeback. Once dismissed by scientists, this view suggests that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous aspect of the universe. In my previous discussion on Separating Consciousness as Fundamental from Panpsychism, I delve into David Chalmers' critical distinction between

We Need to Save Science from Scientism

We Need to Save Science from Scientism

The Big Picture: A troubling trend has emerged in recent years: the elevation of science to a near-religious status, a belief system often referred to as “scientism.” Scientism isn’t about valuing scientific inquiry and evidence-based reasoning but treating science as the ultimate arbiter of truth beyond questioning or critique.