[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.77,0:00:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right now
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.52,0:00:05.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have a movie playing inside your head.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.99,0:00:08.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's an amazing multi-track movie.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.52,0:00:11.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has 3D vision and surround sound
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.84,0:00:14.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for what you're seeing and hearing right now,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.48,0:00:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that's just the start of it.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.80,0:00:21.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your movie has smell and taste and touch.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.98,0:00:24.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has a sense of your body,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.53,0:00:28.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pain, hunger, orgasms.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.85,0:00:30.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has emotions,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.89,0:00:34.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,anger and happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.43,0:00:38.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has memories, like scenes from your childhood
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.22,0:00:40.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,playing before you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.92,0:00:45.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it has this constant voiceover narrative
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.38,0:00:49.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in your stream of conscious thinking.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.75,0:00:54.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the heart of this movie is you
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.82,0:00:59.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,experiencing all this directly.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.19,0:01:04.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This movie is your stream of consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.88,0:01:06.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the subject of experience
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.19,0:01:11.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the mind and the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.33,0:01:13.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Consciousness is one of the fundamental facts
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.63,0:01:15.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of human existence.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.65,0:01:18.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each of us is conscious.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.58,0:01:21.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We all have our own inner movie,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.31,0:01:24.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you and you and you.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.04,0:01:27.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's nothing we know about more directly.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.76,0:01:31.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At least, I know about my consciousness directly.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.23,0:01:35.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can't be certain that you guys are conscious.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.23,0:01:38.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Consciousness also is what makes life worth living.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.66,0:01:42.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we weren't conscious, nothing in our lives
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.36,0:01:45.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would have meaning or value.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.72,0:01:46.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But at the same time, it's the most
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.89,0:01:51.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mysterious phenomenon in the universe.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.06,0:01:54.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why are we conscious?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.43,0:01:55.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why do we have these inner movies?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.97,0:01:58.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why aren't we just robots
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.23,0:02:00.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who process all this input,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.47,0:02:02.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,produce all that output,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.49,0:02:06.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without experiencing the inner movie at all?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.34,0:02:08.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right now, nobody knows the answers
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.85,0:02:10.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to those questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.60,0:02:14.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm going to suggest that to integrate consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.30,0:02:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into science, some radical ideas may be needed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.00,0:02:21.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some people say a science of consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.97,0:02:23.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is impossible.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.92,0:02:27.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Science, by its nature, is objective.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.69,0:02:31.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Consciousness, by its nature, is subjective.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.11,0:02:35.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So there can never be a science of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.56,0:02:38.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For much of the 20th century, that view held sway.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.78,0:02:42.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Psychologists studied behavior objectively,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.60,0:02:46.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,neuroscientists studied the brain objectively,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.66,0:02:50.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and nobody even mentioned consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.21,0:02:52.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even 30 years ago, when TED got started,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.97,0:02:55.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there was very little scientific work
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.35,0:02:57.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.90,0:02:59.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, about 20 years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.60,0:03:02.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all that began to change.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.58,0:03:05.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Neuroscientists like Francis Crick
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.36,0:03:08.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and physicists like Roger Penrose
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.11,0:03:10.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,said now is the time for science
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.35,0:03:13.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to attack consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.13,0:03:15.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And since then, there's been a real explosion,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.45,0:03:17.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a flowering of scientific work
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.78,0:03:19.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.05,0:03:21.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this work has been wonderful. It's been great.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.09,0:03:23.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it also has some fundamental
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.18,0:03:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,limitations so far.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.00,0:03:28.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The centerpiece
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.66,0:03:31.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the science of consciousness in recent years
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.48,0:03:33.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has been the search for correlations,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.97,0:03:37.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,correlations between certain areas of the brain
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.10,0:03:41.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and certain states of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.12,0:03:42.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We saw some of this kind of work
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.21,0:03:43.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from Nancy Kanwisher and the wonderful work
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.97,0:03:47.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she presented just a few minutes ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.25,0:03:50.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now we understand much better, for example,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.81,0:03:53.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the kinds of brain areas that go along with
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.13,0:03:56.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the conscious experience of seeing faces
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.50,0:03:59.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or of feeling pain
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.62,0:04:02.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or of feeling happy.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.11,0:04:04.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this is still a science of correlations.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.92,0:04:08.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not a science of explanations.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.28,0:04:10.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We know that these brain areas
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.90,0:04:14.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,go along with certain kinds of conscious experience,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.82,0:04:18.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we don't know why they do.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.46,0:04:20.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I like to put this by saying
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.79,0:04:24.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this kind of work from neuroscience
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.18,0:04:25.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is answering some of the questions
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.93,0:04:27.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we want answered about consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.73,0:04:31.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the questions about what certain brain areas do
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.51,0:04:33.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what they correlate with.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.62,0:04:36.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in a certain sense, those are the easy problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.77,0:04:39.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No knock on the neuroscientists.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.21,0:04:41.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are no truly easy\Nproblems with consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.83,0:04:46.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it doesn't address the real mystery
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.42,0:04:48.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the core of this subject:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.36,0:04:52.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why is it that all that physical processing in a brain
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.58,0:04:55.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,should be accompanied by consciousness at all?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.50,0:04:58.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why is there this inner subjective movie?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.71,0:05:01.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right now, we don't really have a bead on that.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.96,0:05:03.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you might say,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.99,0:05:07.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,let's just give neuroscience a few years.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.55,0:05:11.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It'll turn out to be another emergent phenomenon
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.33,0:05:16.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like traffic jams, like hurricanes,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.21,0:05:18.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like life, and we'll figure it out.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.83,0:05:20.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The classical cases of emergence
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.90,0:05:24.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are all cases of emergent behavior,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.28,0:05:26.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how a traffic jam behaves,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.63,0:05:28.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how a hurricane functions,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.12,0:05:30.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how a living organism reproduces
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.32,0:05:33.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and adapts and metabolizes,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.90,0:05:36.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all questions about objective functioning.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.19,0:05:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You could apply that to the human brain
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.01,0:05:40.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in explaining some of the behaviors
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.52,0:05:42.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the functions of the human brain
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.79,0:05:43.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as emergent phenomena:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.95,0:05:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we walk, how we talk, how we play chess,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.35,0:05:50.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all these questions about behavior.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.24,0:05:52.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when it comes to consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.37,0:05:54.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,questions about behavior
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.26,0:05:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are among the easy problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.18,0:05:58.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When it comes to the hard problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.78,0:06:01.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's the question of why is it
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.15,0:06:02.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that all this behavior
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.96,0:06:05.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is accompanied by subjective experience?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.81,0:06:07.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And here, the standard paradigm
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.56,0:06:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of emergence,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.41,0:06:12.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even the standard paradigms of neuroscience,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.36,0:06:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don't really, so far, have that much to say.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.80,0:06:20.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I'm a scientific materialist at heart.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.45,0:06:24.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want a scientific theory of consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.47,0:06:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that works,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.80,0:06:29.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and for a long time, I banged my head
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.21,0:06:30.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,against the wall
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.65,0:06:32.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking for a theory of consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.79,0:06:34.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in purely physical terms
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.54,0:06:35.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that would work.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.87,0:06:37.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I eventually came to the conclusion
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.61,0:06:41.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that that just didn't work for systematic reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.80,0:06:43.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a long story,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.73,0:06:46.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the core idea is just that what you get
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.45,0:06:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from purely reductionist explanations
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.79,0:06:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in physical terms, in brain-based terms,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.43,0:06:53.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is stories about the functioning of a system,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.55,0:06:55.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,its structure, its dynamics,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.68,0:06:57.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the behavior it produces,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.67,0:06:59.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,great for solving the easy problems —
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.75,0:07:02.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we behave, how we function —
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.24,0:07:05.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but when it comes to subjective experience —
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.70,0:07:09.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why does all this feel like\Nsomething from the inside? —
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.26,0:07:11.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's something fundamentally new,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.33,0:07:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's always a further question.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.23,0:07:20.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I think we're at a kind of impasse here.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.64,0:07:23.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've got this wonderful, great chain of explanation,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.86,0:07:27.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're used to it, where physics explains chemistry,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.46,0:07:30.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,chemistry explains biology,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.70,0:07:34.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,biology explains parts of psychology.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.54,0:07:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.00,0:07:38.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doesn't seem to fit into this picture.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.77,0:07:40.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the one hand, it's a datum
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.66,0:07:42.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we're conscious.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.63,0:07:43.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the other hand, we don't know how
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.92,0:07:47.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to accommodate it into our\Nscientific view of the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.89,0:07:49.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I think consciousness right now
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.84,0:07:52.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a kind of anomaly,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.30,0:07:54.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one that we need to integrate
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.34,0:07:58.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into our view of the world, but we don't yet see how.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:58.24,0:08:00.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Faced with an anomaly like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.17,0:08:03.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,radical ideas may be needed,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.41,0:08:06.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think that we may need one or two ideas
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.41,0:08:08.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that initially seem crazy
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.85,0:08:11.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before we can come to grips with consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.79,0:08:13.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scientifically.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.88,0:08:15.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, there are a few candidates
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.48,0:08:17.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for what those crazy ideas might be.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.98,0:08:22.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My friend Dan Dennett, who's here today, has one.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.32,0:08:24.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His crazy idea is that there is no hard problem
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.71,0:08:26.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.46,0:08:29.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The whole idea of the inner subjective movie
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.82,0:08:34.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,involves a kind of illusion or confusion.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.43,0:08:36.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Actually, all we've got to do is explain
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.33,0:08:39.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the objective functions, the behaviors of the brain,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.34,0:08:41.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then we've explained everything
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.36,0:08:43.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that needs to be explained.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.84,0:08:46.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well I say, more power to him.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.45,0:08:48.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's the kind of radical idea
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.46,0:08:50.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we need to explore
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.38,0:08:52.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you want to have a purely reductionist
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.72,0:08:56.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,brain-based theory of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.27,0:08:58.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the same time, for me and for many other people,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.34,0:09:00.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that view is a bit too close to simply
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.17,0:09:02.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,denying the datum of consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.19,0:09:03.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be satisfactory.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.70,0:09:06.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I go in a different direction.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.76,0:09:07.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the time remaining,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.95,0:09:10.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to explore two crazy ideas
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.95,0:09:14.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I think may have some promise.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.66,0:09:16.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first crazy idea
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.28,0:09:20.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that consciousness is fundamental.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.91,0:09:23.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Physicists sometimes take\Nsome aspects of the universe
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.75,0:09:25.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as fundamental building blocks:
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.91,0:09:29.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,space and time and mass.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.66,0:09:33.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They postulate fundamental laws governing them,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.27,0:09:37.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like the laws of gravity or of quantum mechanics.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.16,0:09:39.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These fundamental properties and laws
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.47,0:09:42.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,aren't explained in terms of anything more basic.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.69,0:09:45.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rather, they're taken as primitive,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.43,0:09:48.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you build up the world from there.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.81,0:09:53.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now sometimes, the list of fundamentals expands.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.90,0:09:56.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the 19th century, Maxwell figured out
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.36,0:09:59.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you can't explain electromagnetic phenomena
Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.53,0:10:01.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in terms of the existing fundamentals —
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.88,0:10:04.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,space, time, mass, Newton's laws —
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.95,0:10:07.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so he postulated fundamental laws
Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.52,0:10:09.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of electromagnetism
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.34,0:10:11.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and postulated electric charge
Dialogue: 0,0:10:11.75,0:10:13.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a fundamental element
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.51,0:10:16.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that those laws govern.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.47,0:10:19.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that's the situation we're in
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.76,0:10:21.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.37,0:10:23.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you can't explain consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.85,0:10:26.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in terms of the existing fundamentals —
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.27,0:10:28.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,space, time, mass, charge —
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.94,0:10:32.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then as a matter of logic,\Nyou need to expand the list.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.37,0:10:34.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The natural thing to do is to postulate
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.85,0:10:38.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,consciousness itself as something fundamental,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.10,0:10:41.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a fundamental building block of nature.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.13,0:10:44.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This doesn't mean you suddenly\Ncan't do science with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.10,0:10:47.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This opens up the way for you to do science with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.70,0:10:49.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we then need is to study
Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.60,0:10:52.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the fundamental laws governing consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.56,0:10:54.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the laws that connect consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.94,0:10:57.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to other fundamentals: space, time, mass,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.74,0:11:00.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,physical processes.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.67,0:11:02.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Physicists sometimes say
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.86,0:11:05.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we want fundamental laws so simple
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.74,0:11:09.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we could write them on the front of a t-shirt.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.54,0:11:11.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well I think something like that is the situation
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.26,0:11:13.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're in with consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.13,0:11:15.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We want to find fundamental laws so simple
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.88,0:11:17.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we could write them on the front of a t-shirt.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.96,0:11:19.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We don't know what those laws are yet,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.54,0:11:23.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that's what we're after.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.57,0:11:25.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second crazy idea
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.98,0:11:29.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that consciousness might be universal.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.46,0:11:32.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every system might have some degree
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.52,0:11:36.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.25,0:11:39.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This view is sometimes called panpsychism:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.21,0:11:42.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pan for all, psych for mind,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.21,0:11:43.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every system is conscious,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.98,0:11:48.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not just humans, dogs, mice, flies,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.23,0:11:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but even Rob Knight's microbes,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.80,0:11:52.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,elementary particles.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.99,0:11:55.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even a photon has some degree of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.70,0:11:59.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The idea is not that photons are intelligent
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.48,0:12:00.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or thinking.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.56,0:12:01.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not that a photon
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.99,0:12:03.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is wracked with angst
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.44,0:12:06.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it's thinking, "Aww, I'm always\Nbuzzing around near the speed of light.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.73,0:12:09.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I never get to slow down and smell the roses."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.72,0:12:11.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No, not like that.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.86,0:12:14.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the thought is maybe photons might have
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.91,0:12:17.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some element of raw, subjective feeling,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.54,0:12:21.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some primitive precursor to consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.69,0:12:24.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This may sound a bit kooky to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.54,0:12:27.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, why would anyone think such a crazy thing?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.32,0:12:30.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some motivation comes from the first crazy idea,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.88,0:12:33.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that consciousness is fundamental.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.03,0:12:37.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If it's fundamental, like space and time and mass,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:37.40,0:12:40.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's natural to suppose that it might be universal too,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.07,0:12:41.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the way they are.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.97,0:12:43.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's also worth noting that although the idea
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.92,0:12:45.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seems counterintuitive to us,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.94,0:12:48.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's much less counterintuitive to people
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.69,0:12:50.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from different cultures,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:50.42,0:12:51.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the human mind is seen as much more
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.94,0:12:55.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,continuous with nature.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.01,0:12:58.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A deeper motivation comes from the idea that
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.74,0:13:00.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perhaps the most simple and powerful way
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.75,0:13:02.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to find fundamental laws connecting consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.99,0:13:04.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to physical processing
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.97,0:13:08.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to link consciousness to information.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.06,0:13:10.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Wherever there's information processing,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.07,0:13:11.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.14,0:13:13.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Complex information processing, like in a human,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.69,0:13:15.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,complex consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.22,0:13:17.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Simple information processing,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.35,0:13:19.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simple consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.31,0:13:21.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A really exciting thing is in recent years
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.64,0:13:24.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a neuroscientist, Giulio Tononi,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.90,0:13:26.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has taken this kind of theory
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.15,0:13:28.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and developed it rigorously
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.22,0:13:30.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a mathematical theory.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.07,0:13:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He has a mathematical measure
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.59,0:13:33.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of information integration
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.32,0:13:35.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which he calls phi,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.24,0:13:36.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,measuring the amount of information
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.84,0:13:38.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,integrated in a system.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.46,0:13:40.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he supposes that phi goes along
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.83,0:13:42.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.27,0:13:43.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in a human brain,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.59,0:13:46.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,incredibly large amount of information integration,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.11,0:13:48.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,high degree of phi,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.14,0:13:49.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a whole lot of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.69,0:13:53.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a mouse, medium degree\Nof information integration,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.39,0:13:54.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,still pretty significant,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.40,0:13:56.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pretty serious amount of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.43,0:13:58.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as you go down to worms,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.70,0:14:02.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,microbes, particles,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.17,0:14:03.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the amount of phi falls off.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.71,0:14:06.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The amount of information integration falls off,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.14,0:14:07.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's still non-zero.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.59,0:14:09.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On Tononi's theory,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.53,0:14:11.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's still going to be a non-zero degree
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.73,0:14:13.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.56,0:14:16.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In effect, he's proposing a fundamental law
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.10,0:14:19.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of consciousness: high phi, high consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.48,0:14:22.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I don't know if this theory is right,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.11,0:14:25.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's actually perhaps the leading theory right now
Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.32,0:14:26.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the science of consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:26.70,0:14:28.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's been used to integrate a whole range
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.94,0:14:31.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of scientific data,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.32,0:14:33.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it does have a nice property\Nthat it is in fact simple enough
Dialogue: 0,0:14:33.56,0:14:37.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can write it on the front of a t-shirt.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:37.06,0:14:39.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another final motivation is that
Dialogue: 0,0:14:39.68,0:14:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,panpsychism might help us to integrate
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.74,0:14:44.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,consciousness into the physical world.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:44.95,0:14:48.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Physicists and philosophers have often observed
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.13,0:14:50.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that physics is curiously abstract.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.57,0:14:52.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It describes the structure of reality
Dialogue: 0,0:14:52.72,0:14:54.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using a bunch of equations,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:54.80,0:14:57.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it doesn't tell us about the reality
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.82,0:14:59.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that underlies it.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:59.39,0:15:01.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As Stephen Hawking puts it,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.29,0:15:05.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what puts the fire into the equations?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.34,0:15:07.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, on the panpsychist view,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:07.96,0:15:10.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can leave the equations of physics as they are,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.60,0:15:12.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you can take them to be describing
Dialogue: 0,0:15:12.16,0:15:13.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the flux of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.84,0:15:15.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's what physics really is ultimately doing,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.88,0:15:18.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,describing the flux of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.20,0:15:19.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On this view, it's consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:15:19.86,0:15:24.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that puts the fire into the equations.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.10,0:15:25.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On that view, consciousness doesn't dangle
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.76,0:15:27.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside the physical world
Dialogue: 0,0:15:27.44,0:15:28.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as some kind of extra.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.86,0:15:32.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's there right at its heart.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:32.31,0:15:35.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This view, I think, the panpsychist view,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.19,0:15:38.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has the potential to transfigure our relationship
Dialogue: 0,0:15:38.49,0:15:39.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to nature,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.98,0:15:42.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it may have some pretty serious social
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.22,0:15:45.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ethical consequences.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.91,0:15:48.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some of these may be counterintuitive.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.07,0:15:51.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I used to think I shouldn't eat anything
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.14,0:15:53.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is conscious,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:53.60,0:15:56.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so therefore I should be vegetarian.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:56.21,0:15:58.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, if you're a panpsychist and you take that view,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:58.78,0:16:01.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're going to go very hungry.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:01.50,0:16:02.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I think when you think about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.79,0:16:04.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this tends to transfigure your views,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.96,0:16:07.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whereas what matters for ethical purposes
Dialogue: 0,0:16:07.20,0:16:08.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and moral considerations,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:08.48,0:16:11.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not so much the fact of consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:11.55,0:16:15.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the degree and the complexity of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:15.51,0:16:17.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's also natural to ask about consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:16:17.45,0:16:20.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in other systems, like computers.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:20.50,0:16:22.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What about the artificially intelligent system
Dialogue: 0,0:16:22.29,0:16:25.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the movie "Her," Samantha?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.73,0:16:27.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is she conscious?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:27.13,0:16:28.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, if you take the informational,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:28.56,0:16:29.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,panpsychist view,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:29.74,0:16:33.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she certainly has complicated information processing
Dialogue: 0,0:16:33.21,0:16:34.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and integration,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:34.63,0:16:37.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the answer is very likely yes, she is conscious.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:37.30,0:16:40.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If that's right, it raises pretty serious
Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.24,0:16:42.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ethical issues about both the ethics
Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.60,0:16:46.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of developing intelligent computer systems
Dialogue: 0,0:16:46.12,0:16:48.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the ethics of turning them off.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.86,0:16:51.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Finally, you might ask about the consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:16:51.36,0:16:53.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of whole groups,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:53.24,0:16:55.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the planet.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:55.08,0:16:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Does Canada have its own consciousness?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:58.00,0:17:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or at a more local level,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:00.10,0:17:01.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,does an integrated group
Dialogue: 0,0:17:01.31,0:17:03.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like the audience at a TED conference,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:03.57,0:17:07.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are we right now having a\Ncollective TED consciousness,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.02,0:17:08.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an inner movie
Dialogue: 0,0:17:08.51,0:17:11.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for this collective TED group
Dialogue: 0,0:17:11.32,0:17:12.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is distinct from the inner movies
Dialogue: 0,0:17:12.100,0:17:14.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of each of our parts?
Dialogue: 0,0:17:14.09,0:17:16.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't know the answer to that question,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:16.25,0:17:17.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I think it's at least one
Dialogue: 0,0:17:17.62,0:17:20.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,worth taking seriously.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:20.10,0:17:22.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, so this panpsychist vision,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.44,0:17:24.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is a radical one,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:24.25,0:17:26.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I don't know that it's correct.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:26.46,0:17:28.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm actually more confident about
Dialogue: 0,0:17:28.32,0:17:29.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first crazy idea,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:29.95,0:17:32.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that consciousness is fundamental,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:32.12,0:17:33.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than about the second one,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:33.92,0:17:36.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it's universal.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:36.14,0:17:38.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, the view raises any number of questions,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:38.22,0:17:39.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has any number of challenges,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:39.76,0:17:41.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like how do those little bits
Dialogue: 0,0:17:41.12,0:17:42.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of consciousness add up
Dialogue: 0,0:17:42.86,0:17:45.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the kind of complex consciousness
Dialogue: 0,0:17:45.16,0:17:47.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we know and love.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:47.48,0:17:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we can answer those questions,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:48.94,0:17:50.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then I think we're going to be well on our way
Dialogue: 0,0:17:50.44,0:17:53.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a serious theory of consciousness.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:53.53,0:17:56.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If not, well, this is the hardest problem perhaps
Dialogue: 0,0:17:56.92,0:17:58.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in science and philosophy.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.76,0:18:02.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can't expect to solve it overnight.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:02.21,0:18:05.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I do think we're going to figure it out eventually.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:05.75,0:18:08.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Understanding consciousness is a real key, I think,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:08.74,0:18:11.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,both to understanding the universe
Dialogue: 0,0:18:11.19,0:18:13.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to understanding ourselves.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:13.72,0:18:16.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It may just take the right crazy idea.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:16.62,0:18:18.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:18.61,0:18:20.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)