Episode
#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
3:23:42
Published: Thu May 20 2021
Description
Sam Harris is an author, podcaster, and philosopher. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - National Instruments (NI): https://www.ni.com/perspectives - Belcampo: https://belcampo.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off first order - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil - Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit EPISODE LINKS: Sam's Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamHarrisOrg Sam's Website: https://samharris.org/ Sam's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNAxrHudMfdzNi6NxruKPLw PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (08:18) - Where do thoughts come from? (14:18) - Consciousness (31:50) - Psychedelics (41:14) - Nature of reality (58:09) - Free will (1:56:55) - Ego (2:05:59) - Joe Rogan (2:08:59) - How will human civilization destroy itself? (2:16:27) - AI (2:37:10) - Jordan Peterson (2:45:12) - UFOs (2:53:02) - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (3:02:47) - Love (3:13:50) - Meaning of life
Chapters
The host expresses his gratitude towards Sam Harris for appreciating his work and being an inspiration to him through the years.
00:00 - 03:46 (03:46)
Summary
The host expresses his gratitude towards Sam Harris for appreciating his work and being an inspiration to him through the years. The podcast also talks about the engineering perspective website, which highlights the importance of failure in the engineering process.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The host plans to podcast outside their studio and mentions a sponsorship from Linode, offering free credit when you create an account.
03:46 - 09:03 (05:16)
Summary
The host plans to podcast outside their studio and mentions a sponsorship from Linode, offering free credit when you create an account. They go on to promote Bell Campo and a discount code for sustainable meat delivered to your door, and contrast their positive customer service experience with that of Facebook and Instagram.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
In this episode, the speaker discusses how we tend to view ourselves as separate from our consciousness, but through meditation and psychedelics, we can explore and expand our understanding of our sense of self.
09:03 - 17:11 (08:07)
Summary
In this episode, the speaker discusses how we tend to view ourselves as separate from our consciousness, but through meditation and psychedelics, we can explore and expand our understanding of our sense of self.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The concepts used to divide consciousness and matter may be part of the problem, as consciousness could be a fundamental principle of matter that is not based on information processing.
17:11 - 27:47 (10:36)
Summary
The concepts used to divide consciousness and matter may be part of the problem, as consciousness could be a fundamental principle of matter that is not based on information processing. One can argue whether consciousness is fundamental to all reality or just a side effect of evolution.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The use of psychedelics and how it may expand one's cognition beyond the constraints of language is discussed, specifically referring to experiences with self-transforming machine elves that provide uninterpretable knowledge.
27:47 - 38:23 (10:35)
Summary
The use of psychedelics and how it may expand one's cognition beyond the constraints of language is discussed, specifically referring to experiences with self-transforming machine elves that provide uninterpretable knowledge.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The concept of objective reality is challenged by the idea that everything we experience is filtered through our consciousness, including scientific experiments, dreams, and even psychedelic experiences.
38:23 - 46:48 (08:25)
Summary
The concept of objective reality is challenged by the idea that everything we experience is filtered through our consciousness, including scientific experiments, dreams, and even psychedelic experiences.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses the role of consciousness in understanding reality and critiques the idea that the human mind is responsible for creating reality.
46:48 - 58:12 (11:24)
Summary
The speaker discusses the role of consciousness in understanding reality and critiques the idea that the human mind is responsible for creating reality. While acknowledging the collaboration between the mind and external factors to produce experiences, the speaker argues that it is important to recognize the limits of our understanding of reality and not fall into the trap of idealism.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The illusion of free will is compatible with the experience of an absence of free will.
58:12 - 1:10:35 (12:23)
Summary
The illusion of free will is compatible with the experience of an absence of free will. Cutting through the illusion of self is freeing for individuals, however, the illusion of consciousness is still debatable.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast episode dives into the concept of selfhood, exploring the idea that our sense of self is not as concrete as we might assume.
1:10:35 - 1:17:51 (07:15)
Summary
This podcast episode dives into the concept of selfhood, exploring the idea that our sense of self is not as concrete as we might assume. The speaker shares their personal experience of losing the feeling of free will and discusses the subject-object perception of the world around us.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The idea that human civilization is a collection of humans should be revised into humans being a distributed computation system generating interactions and communications, and maybe even free will and experiences based on an operating system running within them.
1:17:51 - 1:27:21 (09:29)
Summary
The idea that human civilization is a collection of humans should be revised into humans being a distributed computation system generating interactions and communications, and maybe even free will and experiences based on an operating system running within them.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The debate on free will often ignores the question of what it's like to actually experience it.
1:27:21 - 1:37:00 (09:39)
Summary
The debate on free will often ignores the question of what it's like to actually experience it. Without being aware of what one will think next and unable to stop its consequences, humans cannot truly have free will.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Researchers have developed a method of using brain scans to predict a person's decision before they are consciously aware of having made a choice.
1:37:00 - 1:45:00 (08:00)
Summary
Researchers have developed a method of using brain scans to predict a person's decision before they are consciously aware of having made a choice. This technology could have implications in areas such as advertising and politics.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses the importance of having the ability to adapt and respond to life's emergencies, and how this can lead to solving problems not just for yourself, but for those closest to you.
1:45:00 - 1:55:41 (10:40)
Summary
The speaker discusses the importance of having the ability to adapt and respond to life's emergencies, and how this can lead to solving problems not just for yourself, but for those closest to you.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses the challenges of communicating effectively with their podcast audience and avoiding backlash.
1:55:41 - 2:05:56 (10:14)
Summary
The speaker discusses the challenges of communicating effectively with their podcast audience and avoiding backlash. They particularly discuss the negative response they received when discussing topics such as Trump, free will, and the response to the coronavirus.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The layer of politics has become so dysfunctional that the prospect of converging on a solution to climate change purely based on political persuasion is non-existent at this point.
2:05:56 - 2:16:37 (10:40)
Summary
The layer of politics has become so dysfunctional that the prospect of converging on a solution to climate change purely based on political persuasion is non-existent at this point. The same goes for other slow-moving disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The possibility of AI reaching human-level intelligence and beyond is a mirage, and it's only a matter of progress until we get there.
2:16:38 - 2:29:34 (12:56)
Summary
The possibility of AI reaching human-level intelligence and beyond is a mirage, and it's only a matter of progress until we get there. The challenge will be to tether AI to a utility function that considers our own wellbeing as primary, and with the continued progress of AI, we may eventually reach a point where AI outperforms humans in most areas of cognition and problem-solving.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The idea of a car being programmed to preferentially hit white people because of their privilege over the years and the possibility of intelligent and kind individuals outnumbering the opposite.
2:29:34 - 2:37:58 (08:23)
Summary
The idea of a car being programmed to preferentially hit white people because of their privilege over the years and the possibility of intelligent and kind individuals outnumbering the opposite.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A call for scientists to acknowledge the evidence and be more open-minded concerning UFOs and possible alien life, rather than immediately dismissing the idea.
2:37:58 - 2:52:48 (14:50)
Summary
A call for scientists to acknowledge the evidence and be more open-minded concerning UFOs and possible alien life, rather than immediately dismissing the idea.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The power of nature, such as the ocean, can be humbling and allow one to realize something much more powerful than themselves.
2:52:48 - 3:02:50 (10:01)
Summary
The power of nature, such as the ocean, can be humbling and allow one to realize something much more powerful than themselves. Jiu-Jitsu and self-defense can also be humbling and honest, as seen in the case of an older martial artist who was defeated in a challenge, and in the Jiu-Jitsu world's past disbelief in the effectiveness of leg locks.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The concept of love has various forms, ranging from personal to strangers, where we may sympathize and hope for their well-being, to escape the harshness of life.
3:02:50 - 3:10:07 (07:16)
Summary
The concept of love has various forms, ranging from personal to strangers, where we may sympathize and hope for their well-being, to escape the harshness of life.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The possibility of robots being able to mimic human emotions raises questions about the extent to which we should allow them to interact with us, and whether there are ethical considerations that need to be taken into account.
3:10:07 - 3:17:43 (07:36)
Summary
The possibility of robots being able to mimic human emotions raises questions about the extent to which we should allow them to interact with us, and whether there are ethical considerations that need to be taken into account.
Episode#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
In this episode, Sam Harris discusses the meaning of life and how meditation can lead to a realization that you don't need a good enough reason to live in the moment and be fulfilled.
3:17:43 - 3:24:03 (06:19)
Summary
In this episode, Sam Harris discusses the meaning of life and how meditation can lead to a realization that you don't need a good enough reason to live in the moment and be fulfilled.