1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,500
All right, so today we're gonna be tackling something

2
00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:03,960
pretty huge, consciousness.

3
00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:04,800
Yeah.

4
00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:06,680
I mean, it's like the foundation of everything, right?

5
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,160
If we weren't conscious, there'd be no world,

6
00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:10,760
no self, no nothing.

7
00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:12,600
Totally, like without consciousness,

8
00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,360
there's literally no experience at all.

9
00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,520
So for this deep dive, we're gonna be exploring

10
00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,840
some ideas from Anil Seth.

11
00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:20,680
Oh, cool.

12
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,240
He's a neuroscientist who gave this awesome TED talk.

13
00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:24,480
Yeah, I've seen that one.

14
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,520
And he's got this really mind-blowing way

15
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,560
of looking at how consciousness works.

16
00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:31,720
Right, Seth's approach is super interesting

17
00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,160
because he kind of turns the whole perception thing

18
00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:35,520
on its head, you know?

19
00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,520
Okay, so instead of just taking in the world as it is,

20
00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,480
you're saying our brains are actually creating

21
00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:42,000
their own version of reality.

22
00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,320
Exactly, he talks about the brain as a prediction engine.

23
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,280
Like think about it, our brains are stuck

24
00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,080
inside our skulls.

25
00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,120
No direct access to the outside world.

26
00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,960
All it gets are these streams of sensory data,

27
00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,800
like light hitting your eyes, sound waves in your ears.

28
00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,640
It's like almost like being in a sensory deprivation tank.

29
00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,960
Kinda, but instead of nothingness,

30
00:01:04,960 --> 00:01:08,120
it's like this constant bombardment of raw data

31
00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,160
that our brains have to decode.

32
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:12,360
Oh, wow, yeah.

33
00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,640
So how does the brain make sense of all that chaos?

34
00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,440
Well, Seth says it uses its past experiences,

35
00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,320
its knowledge, to make these informed guesses.

36
00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:24,840
So it's not just absorbing, it's actively trying

37
00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,000
to predict what's gonna happen next.

38
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,120
Bingo, and those predictions actually shape

39
00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,040
how we perceive the world.

40
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:33,120
That's wild.

41
00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,320
It is, like remember that visual illusion

42
00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:36,840
with the two shaded squares?

43
00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:38,760
Oh yeah, the ones where they're the same shade of gray,

44
00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:40,760
but look totally different because of the shadow, right?

45
00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:41,720
Yeah, that's the one.

46
00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:43,320
Even when I know they're the same color,

47
00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:45,040
my brain's like, nope, they're different.

48
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,240
Right, it's like a trick, but not really.

49
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:48,080
Yeah.

50
00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,160
It's actually your brain making a prediction.

51
00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:52,840
It knows shadows make things appear darker,

52
00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,840
so it adjusts what you see even though the actual information

53
00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:56,680
is the same.

54
00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,640
So our brains are kind of filling in the blanks

55
00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:01,160
based on what they expect to see.

56
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,360
Totally, they're creating this more coherent,

57
00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,160
more predictable world based on our past experiences.

58
00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,280
Makes sense, but also kind of freaky

59
00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:10,240
when you think about it.

60
00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,760
Oh yeah, another great example is that distorted audio clip,

61
00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,200
you know the one?

62
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:16,040
Remind me.

63
00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:17,920
Where all you hear is noise at first,

64
00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:19,640
and then someone tells you what the sentence is.

65
00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:22,000
Oh, right, right, and then suddenly you can hear the words,

66
00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,360
even though the sound hasn't changed.

67
00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,840
Exactly, because once you know what to expect,

68
00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,280
your brain uses that information to fill in the gaps

69
00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:30,800
and make sense of the noise.

70
00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,400
I remember thinking, like how did my brain not hear that

71
00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:35,240
before?

72
00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,240
Right, it shows how powerful those predictions can be.

73
00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,440
So, okay, our brains are these prediction machines,

74
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,400
constantly making these educated guesses.

75
00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:47,600
But where does consciousness actually fit into all of this?

76
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:48,960
Like how does that work?

77
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,040
Well, here's where Seth really drops the bombshell.

78
00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,960
He calls perception a kind of controlled hallucination.

79
00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,760
Wait, hold on, you're saying everything we experience,

80
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,360
see, hear, feel, is a hallucination?

81
00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:02,560
In a way, yes.

82
00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,160
It's not that the world isn't real,

83
00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,320
but our experience of it is a construction

84
00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:08,680
created by our brains.

85
00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,080
Whoa, okay, so does that mean reality isn't real at all?

86
00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:13,000
Not quite.

87
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,240
The key here is controlled.

88
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,600
These hallucinations are constantly being checked

89
00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,000
against real world feedback.

90
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,320
So we're not just hallucinating whatever we want,

91
00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:27,000
our brains are still bound by the laws of physics and stuff.

92
00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:28,880
Okay, so it's like our brains are making

93
00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,360
this virtual reality simulation,

94
00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:34,800
but it's one that's constantly being adjusted

95
00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:36,680
based on what's actually happening around us.

96
00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:37,960
Yeah, that's a great analogy.

97
00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,120
It works because for the most part,

98
00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,080
the world is pretty predictable.

99
00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,600
We've evolved to anticipate those regularities

100
00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:46,120
and our brains have become really good

101
00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:47,520
at making these models.

102
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,240
Okay, this is making me think about people

103
00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,240
who have actual hallucinations with schizophrenia

104
00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:55,520
or things like that.

105
00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,240
Is that their prediction engine going off the rails?

106
00:03:58,240 --> 00:03:59,880
It's complicated, but there are definitely

107
00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:01,080
some interesting connections.

108
00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,840
Actually, Seth did this study using VR

109
00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,640
in that Google Deep Dream algorithm, have you heard of that?

110
00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:07,480
Yeah, you would.

111
00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,520
They basically turned the campus at Sussex University

112
00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,160
into this bizarre psychedelic world

113
00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,000
filled with dogs everywhere.

114
00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,600
Wait, seriously?

115
00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,000
Like dogs everywhere you looked.

116
00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,600
Yeah, it was meant to simulate what happens

117
00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:23,360
when predictions get too strong

118
00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,800
and overwhelm the actual sensory data.

119
00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:26,640
I get it.

120
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:27,720
Like when that happens,

121
00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,440
you can start experiencing things that aren't really there.

122
00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,560
So in a way, we're all hallucinating all the time.

123
00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:34,400
Kind of.

124
00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,280
But most of us are good at keeping it in check.

125
00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:37,240
Exactly.

126
00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:38,920
We agree on our hallucinations

127
00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:40,720
and that's what we call reality.

128
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,480
Okay, I think I'm starting to get this.

129
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,920
Good, but here's where things get even wilder.

130
00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,840
Seth also argues that the self,

131
00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:51,720
like our experience of being a unique me

132
00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:53,800
is also a controlled hallucination.

133
00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:54,640
Now, hold on a minute.

134
00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,080
Illusions, okay, I can sort of wrap my head around that.

135
00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:01,720
But myself, this whole sense of me is a hallucination.

136
00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:03,880
It might sound crazy, but think about it.

137
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:05,640
How do you know you have a body?

138
00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,520
How do you experience the world from your perspective?

139
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,840
How do you feel like the same you over time?

140
00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:13,280
I mean, I guess I never really is dubbed to think about it.

141
00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:15,040
Right, and what's fascinating is that

142
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:16,720
those different parts of the self

143
00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:18,600
can actually come apart.

144
00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,320
There are people with brain injuries, for example,

145
00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,440
who lose their sense of body ownership

146
00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,800
or feel like their actions aren't their own.

147
00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,720
So you mean this me feeling isn't as solid as it seems?

148
00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:32,760
Exactly, it's this construction

149
00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,160
that's constantly being updated by our brains.

150
00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:37,600
So it's like we're making up our sense of self too.

151
00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:38,800
In a way, yes.

152
00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:40,320
And like any other perception,

153
00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,840
it's based on predictions and inferences.

154
00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:44,360
Okay, I need an example here

155
00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,520
because this is getting pretty out there.

156
00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,360
Have you ever heard of the rubber hand illusion?

157
00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:50,720
Rubber hand illusion, okay.

158
00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:54,240
You mentioned it before, but to be honest,

159
00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:55,520
I have no idea what you're talking about.

160
00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:56,480
It's pretty trippy.

161
00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,200
Basically it's this experiment

162
00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,440
where they hide your real hand

163
00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,040
and put this fake rubber hand in front of you

164
00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,360
and then they stroke both hands at the same time

165
00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,680
with the brush, but you're looking at the rubber hand.

166
00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,640
So it'd be like seeing this fake hand being touched

167
00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:12,120
but feeling it on my real hand,

168
00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:13,360
that sounds kind of weird.

169
00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,680
It is, what happens is after a while,

170
00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,520
people start to feel like the rubber hand

171
00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,480
is actually their own hand.

172
00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:20,840
Really?

173
00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:23,360
Just from seeing and feeling the touch at the same time.

174
00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:24,480
Yeah, it's crazy, right?

175
00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:25,360
Well, like my brain wouldn't know

176
00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:26,480
which hand was real anymore.

177
00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,320
Exactly, it shows how the brain tries to make sense

178
00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:30,920
of conflicting information.

179
00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:32,240
Makes you wonder what else our brains

180
00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,360
are like tricking us into believing.

181
00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:35,520
Oh, all the time.

182
00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:37,600
But in this case, it's because your brain is trying

183
00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,920
to create this single coherent experience.

184
00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:43,800
Even if that means kind of bending the rules a bit.

185
00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,520
So because I'm seeing the rubber hand being touched

186
00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:50,080
and feeling it on my skin, my brain's like,

187
00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:51,640
well, that must be my hand then.

188
00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,640
Yep, it prioritizes what makes sense visually

189
00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:56,920
even if it contradicts your internal sense

190
00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,160
of where your hand is.

191
00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,000
Internal sense, is that like proprioception?

192
00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,520
Exactly, proprioception is your body's sense

193
00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,080
of where it is in space.

194
00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,480
Like how you know where your arms and legs are

195
00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,160
without having to look.

196
00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,800
It comes from sensors in your muscles and joints.

197
00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,400
Okay, so in the rubber hand illusion,

198
00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,240
what I'm seeing and feeling overrides that internal sense.

199
00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,800
Exactly, the visual and tactile information

200
00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,800
is just so strong it takes over.

201
00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,040
Wow, that's pretty wild.

202
00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:26,800
And there are different versions of this illusion, right?

203
00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,840
Oh yeah, there's one where they make the virtual hand

204
00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:31,800
flash in sync with your heartbeat.

205
00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:32,640
No way!

206
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:35,880
And that makes it feel even more like your own hand.

207
00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,920
Yeah, because now it's connected to your internal rhythms,

208
00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:40,800
not just external sensations.

209
00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:42,520
Okay, this is starting to creep me out a little bit.

210
00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:44,040
I know, it's kind of freaky.

211
00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,360
It's like how much control do we even have

212
00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:48,680
over our sense of self?

213
00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,240
It's a good question, but this malleability

214
00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:52,880
isn't necessarily a bad thing.

215
00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:56,080
It's actually what allows us to adapt to new situations.

216
00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:57,520
Okay, yeah, that makes sense.

217
00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,720
Like our sense of self needs to be flexible to some extent.

218
00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,040
This is making me super aware of my body right now.

219
00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:03,880
Yeah.

220
00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,120
Like suddenly I can feel everything.

221
00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:06,640
It's funny how learning about this stuff

222
00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,600
can change how you experience your own body, isn't it?

223
00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:10,440
Totally.

224
00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:11,280
Yeah.

225
00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:12,120
But speaking of body stuff,

226
00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,520
you mentioned something earlier, interoception.

227
00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,120
Oh, right.

228
00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:18,880
That's another crucial piece of the puzzle

229
00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,560
when it comes to understanding the self.

230
00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:22,920
Okay, break it down for me.

231
00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,560
Basically, interoception is our sense

232
00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,240
of the internal state of our bodies.

233
00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,760
So things like your heart rate, your breathing,

234
00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,280
temperature, hunger.

235
00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,000
So not the outside world, but what's going on inside?

236
00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:36,840
Exactly.

237
00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,360
It's about sensing what's happening inside us,

238
00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:40,400
not outside of us.

239
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,520
Okay, so like when my stomach growls, that's interoception.

240
00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:44,360
Yeah.

241
00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,680
Or feeling your heart racing when you're nervous.

242
00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:47,520
Right.

243
00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:48,360
Yeah.

244
00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:50,560
But why is that so important for the self?

245
00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:52,640
Because it's all about keeping us alive.

246
00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:53,640
Think about it.

247
00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,400
We don't usually sense our individual organs

248
00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,000
unless something's wrong, right?

249
00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:58,840
That's true.

250
00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,760
I guess I don't walk around feeling my spleen or anything.

251
00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:01,600
Right.

252
00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,760
Interoception is less about like knowing every detail

253
00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,840
of your insides and more about providing feedback

254
00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:09,800
to keep everything running smoothly.

255
00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:11,600
So it's kind of like the behind the scenes stuff

256
00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:12,800
that keeps our bodies going.

257
00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:13,640
Exactly.

258
00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:15,600
It's about regulation, maintaining that balance

259
00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:16,880
with the call homeostasis.

260
00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,200
I'm starting to see how this all ties back to the self.

261
00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:20,040
Yeah.

262
00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,720
It's like our basic experience of being a body

263
00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,200
is rooted in these internal signals.

264
00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,000
It's like we predict ourselves into existence

265
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:29,280
from the inside out.

266
00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:30,600
That's a great way to put it.

267
00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,120
So if this whole sense of self is a controlled hallucination,

268
00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,320
what does that mean for like everything else?

269
00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:38,160
Like what?

270
00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:40,200
Like how we think about mental health,

271
00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,400
artificial intelligence, even just what it means

272
00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:43,240
to be human.

273
00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:44,720
Those are some big questions.

274
00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:46,920
Ones we should definitely explore further.

275
00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,920
Okay, so we've been talking about this idea

276
00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,760
that consciousness, even our sense of self

277
00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:57,360
is like this best guess that our brain makes.

278
00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:58,200
Right.

279
00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,240
Based on predictions and sensory information.

280
00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,760
But what are the big implications of all this?

281
00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,480
Where do we even go from here with this knowledge?

282
00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,880
Well, Seth talks about how this view of consciousness

283
00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,640
could really change the way we think about mental health.

284
00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:11,560
Oh, interesting.

285
00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:14,000
He suggests that a lot of mental health conditions

286
00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,440
could be understood as prediction errors.

287
00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,200
Prediction errors, like when those predictions go wrong.

288
00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,360
Exactly, like when the brain's predictions

289
00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,800
about the world or even about itself

290
00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:25,920
don't match up with reality.

291
00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:27,040
That's fascinating.

292
00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,120
So instead of just focusing on the symptoms,

293
00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,920
you could look at what's causing those prediction errors

294
00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:32,740
in the first place.

295
00:10:32,740 --> 00:10:35,200
Yeah, it could lead to completely new ways

296
00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:37,480
to treat and prevent mental health issues,

297
00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:39,920
not just manage them.

298
00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:41,120
Can you give me an example?

299
00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,360
How would a prediction error look in real life?

300
00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,200
Sure, think about someone with, say, social anxiety.

301
00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:47,720
Okay.

302
00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,320
They might constantly predict that social interactions

303
00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,000
will go badly, so they avoid them altogether.

304
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,120
So their brain is basically creating

305
00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:59,200
this distorted model of social reality

306
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:00,680
based on faulty predictions.

307
00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:01,520
Oh, wow, I get it.

308
00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:04,720
And therapy could then focus on helping them recalibrate

309
00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:05,560
those predictions.

310
00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:07,480
So they can actually engage with people

311
00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,080
without all that fear and anxiety.

312
00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:09,960
Exactly.

313
00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,320
By understanding these underlying mechanisms,

314
00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:14,240
we could develop much more targeted

315
00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,000
and effective treatments.

316
00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:16,920
That's pretty incredible.

317
00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:18,960
It really changes how you think about mental health.

318
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,720
Yeah, it's a whole new perspective.

319
00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:22,160
But what about artificial intelligence?

320
00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:23,760
Everyone's talking about AI these days.

321
00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:26,680
Does this whole controlled hallucination thing

322
00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:30,760
tell us anything about whether AI could ever become conscious?

323
00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,000
Well, Seth makes this really important point.

324
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:33,480
What's that?

325
00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:36,960
That consciousness isn't just about processing information.

326
00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,960
It's about being a biological organism.

327
00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,720
Our experience of consciousness is deeply tied

328
00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,280
to the biological stuff that keeps us alive.

329
00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,200
So just building more powerful computers

330
00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:48,800
won't necessarily make them conscious.

331
00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:49,300
Exactly.

332
00:11:49,300 --> 00:11:51,280
It's not like flipping a switch.

333
00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:53,000
That's kind of a relief, to be honest.

334
00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:53,600
Yeah.

335
00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,600
The whole idea of sentient robots always

336
00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:56,760
freaked me out a little.

337
00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:57,600
I get it.

338
00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:01,120
But if consciousness is so tied to biology,

339
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,120
does that mean humans are the only ones who have it?

340
00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:05,360
What about animals?

341
00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,120
Another good question.

342
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,840
Seth is really clear that human consciousness is just

343
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,120
one way to be conscious.

344
00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:12,600
OK.

345
00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,720
There's probably a huge range of different kinds

346
00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:15,840
of consciousness out there.

347
00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,320
And other creatures likely have their own unique experiences.

348
00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,440
So the way we experience the world

349
00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,160
might be just one tiny version of consciousness out of many.

350
00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:25,960
Exactly.

351
00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,520
Who knows what other forms of consciousness might exist?

352
00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:31,040
It's kind of mind blowing, right?

353
00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:31,760
It really is.

354
00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,560
It makes you realize how little we actually know.

355
00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:37,240
So just to recap, we've learned that our brains

356
00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,800
are these prediction machines, creating this model of reality

357
00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,320
that we experience as consciousness.

358
00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,280
And that includes our sense of self,

359
00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,120
which is also kind of a controlled hallucination tied

360
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,200
to our biology.

361
00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:51,720
And this whole view has big implications

362
00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,720
for understanding things like mental health, AI,

363
00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:59,080
and the vast spectrum of possible consciousnesses out there.

364
00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,200
It's a lot to take in, but it's also super exciting.

365
00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:02,160
I know, right?

366
00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:03,560
It makes you question everything you

367
00:13:03,560 --> 00:13:06,120
thought you knew about, like the nature of reality.

368
00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:07,160
It really does.

369
00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:08,880
And Nilseth's work has definitely given me

370
00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,080
a whole new way of looking at what it means to be human,

371
00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:13,360
to experience the world.

372
00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:14,800
It's pretty remarkable.

373
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,440
And it leaves us with this question.

374
00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,480
If our experience is so constructed,

375
00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,800
so dependent on our brains, what other aspects of reality

376
00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,120
might we be completely missing?

377
00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,480
That's a great question, and one that I think

378
00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:27,880
will stick with me for a while.

379
00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:30,440
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive, everyone.

380
00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:55,000
We'll see you next time for another fascinating exploration.