Consciousness & Fiction
Erik Hoel
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Guest Introduction
My guest in this episode is (once again!) Erik Hoel: PhD in neuroscience, research assistant professor at Tufts University studying consciousness, and author of the upcoming (phenomenal) novel, The Revelations.
We center the conversation around themes from his novel, which lead us into:
- How fiction, as a form of "intrinsic media", offers a unique approach for exploring consciousness that non-fiction and TV can't
- The theories and potentialities at the frontiers of consciousness research
- The relationship between evolution, complexity, consciousness, and emergence
- Some limits of the scientific study of consciousness
- Why we'd better hope that if aliens are out there, they're more like mammals than insects
If you enjoy this episode, check out my previous conversation with Erik, his stupidly-good essay titled 'Enter the Supersensorium', or you can preorder his book here.
Enjoy!
Time Map
- 17:10 – Consciousness as "controlled hallucination" versus window to reality
- 23:12 – Future possibilities for consciousness
- 39:25 – Integrated Information Theory (IIT) explained
- 48:00 – Potential consciousness in cities
- 52:55 – Literature versus science as truth sources
- 57:10 – Higher consciousness volumes and dynamic time experience
- 1:08:10 – Evolution as single-dimensional slice of complexity
- 1:14:42 – Evolution, complexity, and consciousness relationships
- 1:30:30 – Fiction as unique "intrinsic media"
- 1:45:30 – Scientific consciousness study critique response
- 1:55:30 – Science's role in defining "good" consciousness states