Conversations On Consciousness

Join Sam Harris in some of his many conversations on consciousness, the mind and the concept of self.In the first conversation Sam Harris speaks to Thomas K. Metzinger. Thomas K. Metzinger is full professor and director of the theoretical philosophy group and the research group on neuroethics/neurophilosophy at the department of philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. He is the founder and director of the MIND group and Adjunct Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies, Germany. His research centers on analytic philosophy of mind, applied ethics, philosophy of cognitive science, and philosophy of mind. He is the editor of Neural Correlates of Consciousness and the author of Being No One and The Ego Tunnel.—In the second conversation, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Lang about how to experience the world beyond the illusion of the self. Richard Lang is a meditation teacher and writer. He was a longtime student of Douglas Harding, the author of On Having No Head, among other books. Richard has written several books, including Seeing Who You Really Are, The Man with No Head, and Open to the Source: Selected Teachings of Douglas Harding. In 1996, Richard co-founded Shollond Trust, a charity created to help share Harding’s vision as widely as possible.—In the third conversation, Stephen Laureys interviews Sam Harris about meditation practice and the scientific study of the mind. They discuss why Sam began to practice meditation, the difference between dualistic and nondualistic mindfulness, the search for happiness, wisdom vs knowledge, our relationship with death, the Buddhist doctrine of rebirth, the hard problem of consciousness, the role of introspection in science, meditation and free will, the self and the brain, the difference between voluntary and involuntary actions, dangerous knowledge, the mystery of being, the power of hypnosis, and other topics. Steven Laureys, MD, PhD, FEAN (Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology), is a Belgian neurologist, neuroscientist, author, and speaker. He has written several publications including The Neurology of Consciousness: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropathology and the well-received La Méditation, c’est bon pour le cerveau, which will be published in English as The No-Nonsense Meditation Book in April 2021 (UK) and June 2021 (US). Dr. Laureys also maintains a clinical practice at the University Hospital of Liège where his research focuses on understanding consciousness, meditation, and the mind.—In the court installment of this series, Sam Harris presents his full argument on the illusoriness of free will—and explores its ethical and psychological implications.—In this conversation, Sam Harris speaks with James Fadiman about the psychedelic experience. They discuss who should and shouldn’t take psychedelics, set and setting, the role of a guide, the effects of microdosing, the difference between MDMA and true psychedelics, "good" and "bad" trips, the power of thought, the fiction of a unified self, changing states of self, compassion, and other topics. James Fadiman, Ph.D., has been exploring psychedelics since 1961 and the effect of microdosing since 2010. As well as holding consulting, training, counseling and editorial jobs, he has taught in psychology and design engineering at San Francisco State, Brandeis, and Stanford. His most recent books are The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide and Your Symphony of Selves: Discover and Understand More of Who We Are (with Jordan Gruber).—In the last conversation of this series, Sam Harris speaks with Lisa Feldman Barrett about the origins and function of the human brain. They discuss how brains evolved, the myth of the "triune brain," the brain’s network organization, the predictive nature of perception and action, the construction of emotion, concepts as prescriptions for action, culture as an operating system, and other topics. Lisa Feldman Barrett is University Distinguished Professor of psychology at Northeastern University with appointments at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Barrett is among the top 1% most-cited scientists for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is the recipient of a NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for transformative research, the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Psychological Science (APS), and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA). She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, and a number of other honorific societies. She has authored two popular science books for the public: How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, and more recently, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.