From Vox.

What is consciousness, really?

We don’t know. Scientists aren’t sure. Philosophers can’t agree. All we have is the fact that it feels like something to be you right now. Beyond that, human consciousness remains a complete mystery.

Sean talks with Michael Pollan about his new book, A World Appears, which is about what we do and don’t know about consciousness and why it continues to be one of the great miracles of nature. They get into why consciousness has proven so hard to define, whether the self is real or just a useful fiction, what psychedelics and meditation reveal about the mind, and why even serious neuroscientists are starting to question strict materialism. Along the way, they wander into plant intelligence, AI psychosis, ego death, and the unsettling possibility that not knowing might actually be the right place to land.

Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)
Guest: Michael Pollan, author of A World Appears (@michaelpollan)

2:06 Why is consciousness hard to define?
6:45 The evolutionary purpose of consciousness
16:39 AI and consciousness
18:26 Is the ‘self’ an illusion?
25:24 The endpoint of consciousness
33:30 Becoming less enamoured with the ego

We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com, or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.

And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members.

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H