This is a summary review of Conscious containing key details about the book.

What is Conscious About?

Conscious by Annaka Harris explores the nature of consciousness and offers a scientific and philosophical perspective on the mind-body problem. (Full Summary…)

Conscious Summary Review

“Conscious” by Annaka Harris is a thought-provoking exploration of one of the most enigmatic and profound questions in philosophy and science: the nature of consciousness. Through a concise and accessible narrative, Harris delves into the complex and multifaceted aspects of consciousness, offering readers a brief but engaging overview of this fundamental mystery.

The book begins by addressing the basic question: What is consciousness? Harris navigates through various definitions, philosophies, and scientific perspectives, inviting readers to contemplate the very essence of their own awareness. She introduces the concept of the “hard problem” of consciousness, which revolves around the challenge of explaining how subjective experiences arise from physical processes.

Harris deftly explores different viewpoints on consciousness, from the possibility of it being an illusion to the notion of panpsychism, which suggests that consciousness is intrinsic to all matter in the universe. She presents the arguments for and against these ideas with clarity and an even-handed approach, encouraging readers to think critically about the subject matter.

One of the book’s strengths lies in its brevity and accessibility. Each chapter provides a succinct exploration of a specific aspect of consciousness, allowing readers to grasp complex concepts without becoming overwhelmed by technical jargon or lengthy discussions. This format makes it an ideal introductory book for those new to the topic.

Harris also engages with the ongoing debates surrounding the relationship between consciousness and artificial intelligence, offering insights into the challenges and implications of creating machines with the capacity for self-awareness. This timely discussion adds a contemporary dimension to the exploration of consciousness.

While “Conscious” is a valuable and informative read, it should be noted that it does not attempt to provide definitive answers to the questions it raises. Instead, it encourages readers to embrace the ambiguity and complexity of consciousness. Harris invites us to think freely about the topic, emphasizing that our understanding of consciousness is a work in progress.

In summary, “Conscious” is a concise and thought-provoking introduction to the profound mystery of consciousness. Annaka Harris navigates the complex terrain of this topic with clarity and engages readers in a stimulating exploration of the self, free will, and the nature of experience. Whether you are a newcomer to the subject or seeking a fresh perspective, this book provides an engaging starting point for your journey into the fascinating world of consciousness.

Who is the author of Conscious?

Annaka Harris is an American author. Her work touches on neuroscience, meditation, philosophy of mind, and consciousness. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and the children’s book I Wonder.

How long is Conscious?

• Print length: 144 pages

What genre is Conscious?

Nonfiction, Philosophy, Science

What are good quotes from Conscious?

“consciousness is in fact the only thing in the universe that is not a mystery—in the sense that it is the only thing we truly understand firsthand.”

“the truth of my situation: I’m floating around the universe on this giant sphere—suspended here by gravity and going for a ride…. being on the earth doesn’t separate us from the rest of the universe; indeed, we are and have always been in outer space.”

― Annaka Harris, Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind

What are key takeaways from Conscious?

Takeaway #1:

Consciousness is a trait we all share, but it can be difficult to define what it means. In Thomas Nagel’s essay, “What is it Like to be a Bat?” Nagel argues that something can be seen as conscious if there is “something that it is like to be that organism…. something it is like for the organism.” Meaning that something must be capable of having an experience, or be sentient, to experience the effect of some event, in order to be considered conscious. Intuition is another elusive trait that human beings have and often experience. Intuition is commonly regarded as a gut feeling, or a visceral sense that you feel internal is true. Our intuitions often trigger our fight or flight impulses. Intuition is usually right, it is still good to question their veracity at times. Though intuition is usually right, it can sometimes lead you astray.

Takeaway #2:

Since we are only able to experience our own consciousness, this could lead us to falsely believe that we are the only entities with consciousness. Studies conducted on trees show that even non-sentient organisms can display humanistic traits. Douglas fir trees and paper birch seem to have an element of consciousness by regularly supplying nutrients to each other when needed. The Venus flytrap is another example of a plant with anthropogenic traits. A Venus flytrap will not shut close on its prey unless both its triggers are set off, which means some form of memory is required to initiate its trigger. This tells us that either plants possess consciousness, or (and what is more likely) certain entities that display conscious-like behavior may not require consciousness after all.

Takeaway #3:

The subconscious parts of our mind may be responsible for more of our actions than you would think. During a typical day, how many of your actions would you describe as being completely ‘conscious’? Most day-to-day actions occur automatically: driving, brushing your teeth, grabbing your keys before heading out the door. Despite what you’d think, many internal thoughts are also from the subconscious. You could be going about your day, as usual, and out of nowhere, a memory from a decade ago pops into your mind. To sum it up, the subconscious plays a big role in the multitudes of human behavior.

Takeaway #4:

It could seem like senses inform our brains instantaneously. It feels like our senses of sight, smell, and touch all occur at the same time. It turns out this is not the case. Our senses operate differently from each other, and they report information at different points. Touch takes longer to deliver information to the brain than hearing. Disjunctive agnosia is a neurological disorder where the senses experience an even greater delay amongst one another in reporting information to the brain. A person’s sense of reality can be distorted with this disorder. Certain substances we consume can also blur the lines between our reality. LSD and deep meditation practices could have this effect.

Takeaway #5:

Does all matter experience consciousness? According to panpsychism, the answer is yes. Panpsychists believe that any material thing (even a pen), has some consciousness. Before jumping the gun (on what seems like a poor hypothesis), it’s true that most organisms on Earth are made of similar matter. Some researchers endorse panpsychism; like biologist J.B.S. Haldene, and Bernhard Rensch. A critical distinction to keep in mind is that they don’t believe all entities experience consciousness to the same degree. Panpsychism mostly encourages the possibility of there being other forms of consciousness besides just human consciousness.

Takeaway #6:

Panpsychism is not a very commonly held belief. It’s not difficult to see why, since some of its implications are hard to accept. The idea that each of our organs possesses ‘consciousness’ seems false. It’s unlikely that each organ experiences consciousness, but it’s possible that our brains are capable of experiencing more than one form of consciousness. Studies have been done on patients recovering from certain brain surgeries, and during recovery, some patients experienced disjointed behavior as a result of the brain surgery.

Key sources: Amazon, Wikipedia