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In this fascinating discussion of the hard problem of consciousness — that is, explaining how the feeling or experience of something can arise from neural activity — neuroscientists Christof Koch argues that consciousness is the feeling of being alive, not a type of computation or a clever hack. Consciousness is experience. Consciousness is The Feeling of Life Itself.
Science Salon # 84 Michael Shermer speaks with Christof Koch about his new book The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness is Widespread but Can’t Be Computed; PLUS, Harriet Hall, M.D. looks at the evidence for some of the extraordinary claims for coconut oil.
Do you know someone who has had a mind altering experience? If so, you know how compelling they can be. A life can be changed or an entire religion founded on the basis of a single brain-generated hallucination. These phenomena are so powerful that throughout history seekers of knowledge have sought to induce them. They are one of the foundations of widespread belief in the paranormal. But as skeptics are well aware, accepting them as reality can be more than…