Mystery hiding in plain sight
Details
IN PERSON: Let's meet and talk about consciousness based on Annaka Harris' compendium. Additional suggested works mentioned at previous meetings are Being You by Anil Seth and The feeling of life itself by Christof Koch.
"What is consciousness? How does it arise? And why does it exist? We take our experience of being in the world for granted. But the very existence of consciousness raises profound questions: Why would any collection of matter in the universe be conscious? How are we able to think about this? And why should we?
"In this wonderfully accessible book, Annaka Harris guides us through the evolving definitions, philosophies, and scientific findings that probe our limited understanding of consciousness. Where does it reside, and what gives rise to it? Could it be an illusion, or a universal property of all matter? As we try to understand consciousness, we must grapple with how to define it and, in the age of artificial intelligence, who or what might possess it.
"Conscious offers lively and challenging arguments that alter our ideas about consciousness—allowing us to think freely about it for ourselves, if indeed we can."
Everyone is welcome whether you have explored the topic before or not.
You can:
At this meeting each person can nominate a publication to be voted on whether it is from the pool of candidates or not.
We'll be meeting at Cafe Express. There is ample parking in the nearby lot.
Come prepared to discuss and share ideas on the topic and have a good time.
Looking forward to seeing you there!