Today we welcome Dr. Antonio Damasio. He is an internationally recognized neuroscientist whose extensive research has shaped the understanding of neural systems and consciousness. With over a hundred journal articles and book chapters, he has earned many prestigious awards throughout his career. Currently, he serves as University Professor, the David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Philosophy, and director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California. His books Descartes’ Error, Looking for Spinoza, Self Comes to Mind, The Strange Order of Things, and Feeling & Knowing, have been published in translation and are taught in universities throughout the world.
In this episode, I talk to Antonio Damasio about consciousness. People often think that the mind and consciousness are the same thing, but Dr. Damasio disputes this notion. He argues that it’s the complex relationship of both our brains and bodies that makes sentient thought possible. Homeostatic feelings like hunger and pain developed before emotions; and along with it came consciousness. We also touch on the topics of perception, mental illness, evolution, panpsychism, AI and machine learning.
Website: dornsife.usc.edu/bc
Twitter: @damasiousc
Topics
02:17 Time-locked multiregional retroactivation
11:32 The difference between the mind, intelligence, and consciousness
18:37 Panpsychism is an escape
22:50 AIs can replicate minds but not consciousness
25:42 Feeling gave way to consciousness
30:59 The purpose of emotions
33:25 The evolution of feelings and emotions
38:28 The interoceptive nervous system
44:23 Does mental illness disrupt consciousness?
49:51 Creativity as a bottom-up process
54:38 Consciousness can hinder creativity
58:09 Scott’s interest in panpsychism
59:18 Can we ever make feeling machines?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Neuroscience of Manifestation w/ Dr. James Doty
How To Spot a Narcissist and Heal From Them w/ Dr. Ramani Durvasula
Collective Narcissism is Everywhere w/ Agnieszka Golec
What Does it Mean to Be Gifted? w/ Ellen Winner
What It’s Like to Live Constitutionally w/ A.J. Jacobs
Reclaim Yourself w/ Emma Seppala
How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down w/ Corey Keyes
Helping Teens Thrive Emotionally and Socially w/ Lisa Damour
How To Be A Supercommunicator W/ Charles Duhigg
Stop Worrying about What People Think of You w/ Michael Gervais
Play Is Learning w/ Yumi Kendall
Learning to Love Midlife w/ Chip Conley
Mastering Clear Thinking w/ Shane Parrish
Think Bigger and Innovate w/ Sheena S. Iyengar
Failing Well w/ Amy Edmondson
How To Be The Love You Seek w/ Dr. Nicole LePera
Cancelling Cancel Culture w/ Greg Lukianoff & Rikki Schlott
No Bad Parts w/ Richard Schwartz
Climbing The Mountains of Life and Fulfilling Your Maximum Potential w/ Alison Levine
Right Brain, Creativity, and Meaning in Life w/ Iain McGilchrist
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Behavioral Grooves Podcast
Hidden Brain
Something You Should Know
The Science of Happiness