
266 - Annaka Harris: The Fundamentality of Consciousness
From Robinson's Podcast by Robinson Erhardt
December 21, 2025 · 1h 34m · Episode 266
About this episode
Robinson and Annaka Harris discuss the fundamental nature of consciousness and its relationship with physics and artificial intelligence.
Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. In this episode, Robinson and Annaka discuss panpsychism and the case that consciousness is fundamental. More particularly, they talk about complexity and emergence, the relationship between consciousness and physics, and artificial intelligence. Lights On: https://a.co/d/cy8YTpd Conscious: https://a.co/d/3uFZ2Jq Annaka’s Website: https://annakaharris.com OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:52 Annaka’s Obsession with Consciousness 06:09 How Should We Define Consciousness? 13:06 Why the Complexity Might Not Explain Consciousness 25:30 Is Consciousness Emergent or Fundamental? 29:45 Are Fundamentalia Conscious? 45:18 How Can Consciousness Solve Deep Problems of Physics? 52:14 Consciousness and Quantum Entanglement 01:00:11 Consciousness and the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics…
People in this episode
Host: Robinson Erhardt
Guest: Annaka Harris
Topics covered
- consciousness
- panpsychism
- complexity
- emergence
- artificial intelligence
- physics
Keywords
- consciousness
- panpsychism
- complexity
- emergence
- artificial intelligence
- quantum mechanics
- neuroscience
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, Journal of Consciousness Studies, IAI Magazine, Stanford University
Books & works: CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind, LIGHTS ON
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