Consciousness is famously unobservable. Therefore, to test for consciousness, we must study its absence rather than its presence. Stuart Hameroff here argues that by studying anesthesia we are able to understand what goes away in the brain when the light of consciousness is switched off. Hameroff finds the answer in quantum processes in the brain – recent studies suggest he is onto something.
This article is presented in association with Closer To Truth, a partner for HowTheLightGetsIn Festival 2024. The festival will feature the debate ‘The Consciousness Test’, featuring Sabine Hossenfelder, Yoshua Bengio, Nick Lane and Hilary Lawson.
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