LIGHTS ON AUDIO DOCUMENTARY TEASER

In this concluding chapter, we drop in on a talk Annaka gave at a 2023 conference titled “Treating Consciousness as Fundamental,” in which she presents alongside other LIGHTS ON guests: Lee Smolin, Donald Hoffman, Sean Carroll, and Philip Goff. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com Annaka describes the evolution of her thinking over the course of working on this documentary series. She elaborates further on ways we might expand our methods of scientific experiment, while laying out her prediction about a scientific paradigm shift that is possibly underway.

In this explosive chapter, Annaka explores the concept of space, how it's constructed, and what our experiences of space might represent in reality. She speaks with two physicists, Carlo Rovelli and Lee Smolin, along with the science writer George Musser, to learn more about what it means for space to be emergent. They also discuss whether or not time might also be an emergency property of something more fundamental. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com Annaka—initially skeptical about the significance of subjective experiences in meditation—was surprised to find these experiences can sometimes reveal deeper insights into scientific truth. Through her collaboration with neuroscientists, she learned how our perceptions of reality are largely indirect, often described as "controlled hallucinations," according to Anil Seth. However, disciplined attention to our immediate experiences can sometimes alter our perceptions of space, time, and self, offering a potentially clearer view of reality. This leads her down a path of jaw-dropping exploration about the true nature of space and time.

In Chapter 6, Annaka contemplates where the sensory addition work of neuroscientists, such as David Eagleman, might lead. She also explores new ways science might expand in order to address questions about consciousness. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com Tools like microscopes uncover vast worlds that were previously hidden from us—we could hardly grasp the reality of invisible organisms before the microscope allowed us to perceive them, let alone the realms that have been revealed through telescopes and particle colliders. What tools might we discover in the future to help us reach beyond the familiar experimental neuroscience we have relied on so far?

Most of us share the intuition that plants aren’t conscious. But when we look more closely at plant behaviors that fall into the surprisingly similar behavioral categories we might call pain, fear, or even love, we can ask ourselves why we think consciousness is necessary for certain behavior in animals, but not in plants. Is it possible that any behavior in plants is accompanied by felt experience? In Chapter 4, Annaka talks to plant geneticist Daniel Chamovitz, neuroscientist Patrick House, and science writer Zoë Schlanger about the wonderful world of plants and parasites. Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com

Could treating consciousness as a fundamental property of the universe help us better understand any of the current theories of quantum gravity? Or, alternately, do any of the established understandings in fundamental physics rule out the possibility that consciousness is fundamental? Is this even a type of knowledge we can ever obtain? Will we be able to design scientific experiments that can provide evidence to support one conclusion over another? In Chapter 2, Annaka speaks with philosopher Philip Goff and astrophysicist Adam Frank about the implications of the controversial question: Is consciousness fundamental? Listen to the full audio documentary here: https://lightsondocumentary.com