#871 Anil Seth - Being You: A New Science of Consciousness
RECORDED ON NOVEMBER 17th 2023.
Dr. Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, where he is also Director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science. He is also Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Program on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, and of the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme: From Sensation and Perception to Awareness. He is also an Engagement Fellow with the Wellcome Trust. He is the author of several books, the latest one being Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.
In this episode, we focus on Being You. We start by discussing what consciousness is, and how to study it scientifically. We talk about what consciousness is good for. We address the recent “controversy” surrounding Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness, and discuss how science is done. We talk about the idea of the brain as a prediction machine, how perception works, and how objective reality relates to perception. We discuss the notion of “self”. Finally, we talk about what we know about non-human animal consciousness, and whether machines can become conscious.
Time Links:
Intro
What consciousness is, and how to study it
What is consciousness good for?
The Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness “controversy”, and how science is done
The relation between what is conscious and what happens unconsciously in the mind
The brain as a prediction machine, and how perception works
How objective reality related to perception
The “self”
Non-human animal consciousness
Can machines become conscious?
Follow Dr. Seth’s work!
Follow Dr. Seth’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/43BVv2u
Website: https://bit.ly/3Y2Upvq
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/44QNA28
Being You: https://bit.ly/3qVci36