#469. A Mystery That Matters | Anil Seth

How, on this planet, did we go from molten lava and shifting tectonic plates to sentient beings? How are you awake and aware right now? Who and where and what exactly is the “you” that is experiencing everything?

Guest Anil Seth says that exploring these questions can lead to real and radical changes in your life, including reducing your emotional reactivity.

Seth is a Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science and Editor-in-Chief of Neuroscience of Consciousness. His TED Talk on consciousness has been viewed over 13 million times. Most recently, he is the author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.

In this episode we talk about: 

• How brains give rise to consciousness 
• The bundle theory of self
• The comfort in thinking of the self as impermanent
• A new way to think about emotional states
• How Seth’s personal experience with long COVID has changed his own sense of self
• The question of whether we have free will
• Whether machines can be conscious – and whether we should be afraid of artificial intelligence

Where to find Anil Seth online: 

Website: www.anilseth.com

Social Media:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Book Mentioned:

• Being You: A New Science of Consciousness 

Other Resources Mentioned:

• David Charles
• Dr. Mark Epstein 
• Joseph Goldstein 
• David Hume’s, bundle theory of self
• The James-Lange Theory of Emotion
• Exposure Therapy
• Free Will by Sam Harris
• A Better Understanding of Long Covid - The New York Times
• Nothing to be Frightened Of
• William Grey Walter 
• Brion Gysin
• dreamachine.world
• Actus Reus and Mens Rea
• Benjamin Libet and the Denial of Free Will

Additional Resources:

Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install