Annaka Harris

Free will is a hard one.

So here we are.

still in consciousness studies, pretty stuck, at least in terms of the neuroscience.

And so that's why I started thinking more deeply about that.

That's why a lot of scientists right now are actually interested in studying consciousness, where it was very taboo before.

And so we're at this really interesting turning point, and it's wonderful, but it will require that we

shake up our intuitions a bit and reframe some things and look at what the neuroscience is telling us.

And there are a lot of questions.

We have more questions than answers.

But I think it's time.

I think if we're going to make progress in consciousness studies, we need to start really looking at the illusions and false intuitions that are getting in our way.

Absolutely.

I think it already has.

And I think many facts that have come out of neuroscience are still barely seeping into the culture.

I mean, I think this is going to be a long process.

So part of my work is really just looking at

areas where we already know some of our intuitions are wrong and starting to accept them and starting to let them in and starting to ask questions about, well, what does this mean then about the nature of consciousness?

Research into AI and just the fact that it's entered our consciousness at the level of stories and film and all of these questions that it's raising is facing us with that.

It's almost like the zombie experiment is coming to life for us.

We're more and more looking at human-like systems and wondering, is there an experience in there and how can we figure that out?