Consciousness, with Anil Seth

Right then. Everything you perceive - including what climate change is to you -  is a construction of your brain.  And your brain is winging it.  That's the reality of human consciousness, and everything I thought it was is completely wrong.

So how do our brains perceive things, like buses? Are there even buses?
(Yes, there are buses.)

Have our conscious noggins evolved enough to cope with the reality of climate change?   If not, er - can they, sharpish? And can the very fact that there even is consciousness guide how we might think about protecting life itself?

Stand by for more 'Dave is patiently corrected by a genius' moments than usual, as I'm joined by Professor Anil Seth - cognitive neuroscientist, philosopher, and all-round wise and lovely chap. Anil's bestselling book, Being You, explains all about what consciousness is - what it is, how it works, and how it makes us perceive the world. 

Find Anil on Twitter @anilkseth.

Extra reading as highlighted by the owl noises:
-- 19:42: Jakob von Uexküll and his idea of 'umwelt' - every animal inhabits a world of its own.
-- 19:59: Ed Yong's book, 'An Immense World'.
-- 24:30: Check out Anil's Perception Census. Check it out now. Do it.
-- 40:30: Stroboscopically induced visual hallucinations? Yes please.

Your Brain on Climate is a podcast about human psychology vs the climate crisis: what we think, why we think it, and how it all adds up to a planet-sized emergency.  Contact the show:  @brainclimate on Twitter, or hello@yourbrainonclimate.com.

Support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate.

The show is hosted by me, Dave Powell, who you can find @powellds on Twitter.  Original music by me, and I twiddle all the production knobs too.

Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.