0:00:30.820,0:00:33.618
I am going to talk about consciousness.

0:00:33.619,0:00:34.870
Why consciousness?

0:00:34.871,0:00:37.487
It is curiously a neglected subject

0:00:37.488,0:00:41.204
both in our scientific[br]and our philosophical culture.

0:00:41.205,0:00:42.421
Why is that curious?

0:00:42.422,0:00:47.581
It's most important aspect of our lives[br]for a very simple logical reason,

0:00:47.582,0:00:51.398
namely, it is a necessary condition[br]on anything being important in our lives

0:00:51.399,0:00:52.695
that we are conscious.

0:00:52.696,0:00:55.855
[If] you care about science,[br]philosophy, music, art, whatever,

0:00:55.856,0:00:58.982
it is no good if you are[br]a zombie or in a coma, right?

0:00:58.983,0:01:01.451
So consciousness is number one.

0:01:01.452,0:01:05.370
That's the first reason[br][that] we are talking about it.

0:01:05.372,0:01:08.638
The second reason is that when people[br]do get interested in it,

0:01:08.639,0:01:10.036
as I think they should,

0:01:10.037,0:01:12.471
they tend to say[br]the most appalling things!

0:01:12.472,0:01:15.078
I am not going to attempt[br]to conceal from you

0:01:15.079,0:01:18.140
some of the most appalling things[br]that have been said about it;

0:01:18.141,0:01:20.739
and even when they are not saying[br]appalling things

0:01:20.740,0:01:23.381
[and] they are really trying[br]to do serious research,

0:01:23.382,0:01:26.684
well, it's been slow,[br]progress has been slow.

0:01:26.685,0:01:30.507
Let me tell you a little bit[br]about some of the difficulties.

0:01:30.508,0:01:32.941
When I first got interested[br]in this, I thought

0:01:32.942,0:01:35.480
it's a straightforward problem in biology

0:01:35.481,0:01:37.752
[so] let's get these brain stabbers[br]to get busy

0:01:37.753,0:01:39.955
and figure out how it works in the brain.

0:01:39.956,0:01:43.450
I went over to UCSF and talked[br]to all heavy-duty neurologists there

0:01:43.451,0:01:45.202
and they showed some impatience,

0:01:45.203,0:01:49.343
as scientists often do when you ask them[br]embarrassing questions,

0:01:49.344,0:01:50.997
and the thing that struck me

0:01:50.998,0:01:54.451
is that a very famous neurobiologist[br]said exasperated:

0:01:54.452,0:01:57.927
"Look, in my discipline,[br]it's OK to be interested in consciousness,

0:01:57.928,0:02:00.077
but get tenure first!

0:02:00.078,0:02:01.582
(Laughter)

0:02:01.583,0:02:04.246
I've been working on this for a long time

0:02:04.247,0:02:06.640
and now you might actually get tenure

0:02:06.641,0:02:09.815
by working on consciousness,[br]and if so, that's a real step forward!

0:02:09.816,0:02:13.204
Why then, is this curious reluctance

0:02:13.205,0:02:15.593
and curious hostility to consciousness?

0:02:15.594,0:02:18.983
I think it's a combination of two features[br]of our intellectual culture

0:02:18.984,0:02:22.120
that like to think[br]they are opposing each other

0:02:22.121,0:02:25.892
but in fact they share[br]a common set of assumptions.

0:02:25.893,0:02:28.844
Consciousness is not a part[br]of the physical world

0:02:28.845,0:02:32.719
but it's part of the spiritual world,[br]it belongs to the soul,

0:02:32.720,0:02:35.685
and the soul is not a part[br]of the physical world.

0:02:35.686,0:02:38.698
That's the tradition of God,[br]the soul, and immortality.

0:02:38.699,0:02:41.507
There is another tradition[br]that is opposed to this

0:02:41.508,0:02:43.480
but excepts the worst assumption.

0:02:43.481,0:02:47.282
That tradition thinks[br]we are heavy-duty scientific materialists,

0:02:47.283,0:02:50.361
consciousness is not a part[br]of the physical world,

0:02:50.362,0:02:53.284
either it doesn't exist at all[br]or it is something else,

0:02:53.285,0:02:55.663
a computer program[br]or some damn fool thing.

0:02:55.664,0:02:56.690
(Laughter)

0:02:56.691,0:02:58.809
But in any case, it's not part of science!

0:02:58.810,0:03:01.853
I used to get in an argument[br]that really gave me a stomachache.

0:03:01.854,0:03:02.972
Here is how it went:

0:03:02.973,0:03:06.792
"Science is objective,[br]consciousness is subjective,

0:03:06.793,0:03:10.089
therefore, there cannot be[br]a science of consciousness."

0:03:10.090,0:03:11.287
I love that argument

0:03:11.288,0:03:14.102
because it has got[br]a wonderful fallacy of ambiguity

0:03:14.103,0:03:15.917
over the concept of objectivity.

0:03:15.918,0:03:18.216
And I have already used up too much time

0:03:18.217,0:03:20.515
just to clearing my breath,[br]sort of speak,

0:03:20.516,0:03:22.127
but I want to get to that.

0:03:24.017,0:03:27.952
These twin traditions are paralyzing us,

0:03:27.953,0:03:30.978
and it's very hard to get out[br]of these twin traditions,

0:03:30.979,0:03:33.824
and I have only one real message[br]in this lecture,

0:03:33.825,0:03:35.320
and that is consciousness

0:03:35.321,0:03:38.396
is a biological phenomenon,[br]like photosynthesis,

0:03:38.397,0:03:42.602
digestion, mitosis,[br]and all that biological phenomena.

0:03:42.603,0:03:44.289
And once you accept that,

0:03:44.290,0:03:46.235
most, though not all,

0:03:46.236,0:03:48.181
of the hard problems about consciousness

0:03:48.182,0:03:49.579
simply evaporate!

0:03:49.580,0:03:51.613
And I will go through some of them.

0:03:51.614,0:03:53.679
I promised you to tell you

0:03:53.680,0:03:56.425
some of the outrageous things[br]said about consciousness,

0:03:56.426,0:04:00.812
and because of shortage of time,[br]I will only mention four of the worst.

0:04:00.813,0:04:04.976
One: "Consciousness does not exist.

0:04:04.986,0:04:06.981
It is an illusion, like sunsets."

0:04:06.982,0:04:11.610
Science has shown sunsets[br]and rainbows are illusions,

0:04:11.611,0:04:13.579
so consciousness is an illusion.

0:04:13.580,0:04:17.079
Two: "Maybe it exists,[br]but it is really something else,

0:04:17.079,0:04:20.963
it's a computer program[br]running in the brain."

0:04:20.964,0:04:25.337
Three: "No, the only thing[br]that exists is really behavior!"

0:04:25.338,0:04:28.588
It's embarrassing[br]how influential behaviorism was,

0:04:28.589,0:04:30.380
but I will get back to that.

0:04:30.381,0:04:32.397
Four: "Maybe consciousness exists,

0:04:32.398,0:04:34.756
but it can't make[br]any difference to the world.

0:04:34.757,0:04:37.164
How could spirituality move anything?"

0:04:37.165,0:04:39.412
And whenever somebody[br]tells me that, I think:

0:04:39.413,0:04:42.343
"You want to see if spirituality[br]moves something? Watch!"

0:04:42.344,0:04:46.719
I decide consciously to raise my arm[br]and the damn thing goes up.

0:04:46.720,0:04:48.450
(Laughter)

0:04:48.451,0:04:50.034
(Applause)

0:04:50.040,0:04:54.951
Furthermore, we do not say:[br]"It's a bit like the weather in Geneva,

0:04:54.952,0:04:57.678
some days it goes up[br]and some days it doesn't go up."

0:04:57.679,0:04:58.558
No! It goes up

0:04:58.559,0:05:00.526
when I right damn well want it to!

0:05:00.527,0:05:02.518
I will tell you how that is possible.

0:05:02.519,0:05:06.156
Now, I haven't yet given you a definition,

0:05:06.157,0:05:08.644
you can't do this[br]if you don't give a definition.

0:05:08.645,0:05:11.572
People always say: "Consciousness[br]is very hard to define."

0:05:11.573,0:05:13.329
I think it is rather easy to define

0:05:13.330,0:05:15.939
if you are not trying to give[br]a scientific definition.

0:05:15.940,0:05:18.137
We are not ready[br]for a scientific definition,

0:05:18.138,0:05:20.103
but here is the common sense definition:

0:05:20.104,0:05:24.515
consciousness consists of all those states[br]of feelings, or sensations, or awareness;

0:05:24.516,0:05:28.472
it begins in the morning[br]when you wake up from a dream,

0:05:28.473,0:05:31.513
and it goes on all day,[br]until you fall asleep, or die,

0:05:31.514,0:05:33.994
or otherwise become unconscious.

0:05:33.995,0:05:37.143
Dreams are a form[br]of consciousness on this definition.

0:05:37.144,0:05:39.859
That's the common sense definition,[br]that's our target;

0:05:39.860,0:05:43.601
if you are not talking about that,[br]you are not talking about consciousness.

0:05:43.602,0:05:45.375
But they think:"Well, that's it!

0:05:45.376,0:05:46.905
That's an awful problem!

0:05:46.906,0:05:50.615
How can such thing exist[br]as part of the real world?"

0:05:50.616,0:05:53.355
And this, if you have ever had[br]a philosophy course,

0:05:53.356,0:05:55.945
this is known[br]as the famous "mind-body problem."

0:05:55.946,0:05:59.545
I think that has a simple solution to it[br]and I am going to give it to you.

0:05:59.546,0:06:00.346
And here it is:

0:06:00.347,0:06:04.345
all of our conscious states,[br]without exception, are caused

0:06:04.346,0:06:08.345
by lower-level neurobiological processes[br]in the brain.

0:06:08.346,0:06:13.085
And they are realized in the brain[br]as higher-level or system features.

0:06:13.086,0:06:17.425
It is about as mysterious[br]as the liquidity of water, right?

0:06:17.426,0:06:19.235
The liquidity is not an extra juice

0:06:19.236,0:06:21.925
squirted out by the H2O molecules,

0:06:21.926,0:06:25.135
it's a condition that the system is in.

0:06:25.136,0:06:29.865
And just as the jar full of water[br]can go from liquid to solid,

0:06:29.866,0:06:32.055
depending on the behavior[br]of the molecules,

0:06:32.056,0:06:34.825
so your brain can go[br]from a state of being conscious

0:06:34.826,0:06:36.675
to a state of being unconscious,

0:06:36.676,0:06:39.715
depending on the behavior[br]of the molecules.

0:06:39.716,0:06:43.909
The famous "mind-body problem"[br]is that simple.

0:06:44.970,0:06:47.250
But now, we get[br]into some harder questions.

0:06:48.760,0:06:52.759
Let's specify[br]the exact features of consciousness

0:06:52.760,0:06:56.229
so that we can then answer[br]those four objections that I made to it.

0:06:56.230,0:07:00.229
Well, the first feature is[br]it is real and irreducible.

0:07:00.230,0:07:02.229
You can't get rid of it.

0:07:02.230,0:07:06.699
You see, the distinction[br]between reality and illusion

0:07:06.700,0:07:11.399
is the distinction between how things[br]consciously seem to us

0:07:11.400,0:07:13.239
and how they really are.

0:07:13.240,0:07:14.979
If consciousness seems like...

0:07:14.980,0:07:18.819
I like the French "arch",[br]it seems like there's an arch in the sky,

0:07:18.820,0:07:22.269
or it seems like the sun[br]is setting over the mountains,

0:07:22.270,0:07:24.039
it consciously seems to us

0:07:24.040,0:07:25.799
but that's not really happening.

0:07:25.800,0:07:27.209
But for that distinction,

0:07:27.210,0:07:30.269
between how things consciously seem[br]and how they really are,

0:07:30.270,0:07:34.539
you can't make that distinction[br]for the very existence of consciousness.

0:07:34.540,0:07:38.119
Because we are[br]the very existence of consciousness:

0:07:38.120,0:07:41.249
if it consciously seems to you,[br]that you are conscious,

0:07:41.250,0:07:42.579
you are conscious!

0:07:42.580,0:07:43.759
(Laughter)

0:07:43.760,0:07:46.179
I mean if a bunch of experts[br]come to me and say:

0:07:46.180,0:07:49.759
"We are heavy-duty neurobiologists[br]and we've done a study on you Searle,"

0:07:49.760,0:07:51.909
and we are convinced[br]you are not conscious.

0:07:51.910,0:07:54.699
You're a very cleverly constructed robot."

0:07:54.700,0:07:57.299
I don't think: " Well, maybe[br]these guys are right!"

0:07:57.300,0:07:59.119
I don't think that for a moment!

0:07:59.120,0:08:02.009
Because, I mean, Descartes[br]may have made a lot of mistakes

0:08:02.010,0:08:03.359
but he is right about this:

0:08:03.360,0:08:06.219
you cannot doubt the existence[br]of your own consciousness.

0:08:06.220,0:08:08.349
That's the first feature of consciousness.

0:08:08.350,0:08:09.799
It is real and irreducible.

0:08:09.800,0:08:13.249
You cannot get rid of it[br]by showing that it's an illusion,

0:08:13.250,0:08:16.329
in a way that you can[br]with other standard illusions.

0:08:16.330,0:08:18.599
The second feature is this one

0:08:18.600,0:08:21.139
that has been such a source[br]of trouble to us.

0:08:21.140,0:08:23.369
And that is all of our conscious states

0:08:23.370,0:08:26.299
have this qualitative character to them;

0:08:26.300,0:08:28.879
there is something[br]that it feels like to drink beer,

0:08:28.880,0:08:31.679
which is not what feels like[br]to do your income tax,

0:08:31.680,0:08:32.859
or listen to music.

0:08:32.860,0:08:37.109
And this qualitative field[br]automatically generates a third feature,

0:08:37.110,0:08:40.889
namely, conscious states[br]are by definition subjective,

0:08:40.890,0:08:42.979
in the sense that they only exist

0:08:42.980,0:08:45.679
as experienced[br]by some human or animal subjects,

0:08:45.680,0:08:47.809
some self that experiences them.

0:08:47.810,0:08:50.329
Maybe we will be able[br]to build a conscious machine,

0:08:50.330,0:08:52.789
[but] since we don't know[br]how our brains do it,

0:08:52.790,0:08:56.619
we are not in the position, so far,[br]to build a conscious machine.

0:08:56.620,0:08:59.419
Okay, another feature of consciousness

0:08:59.420,0:09:03.419
is that it comes[br]in unified conscious fields.

0:09:03.420,0:09:06.059
I don't just have the sight[br]of people in front of me,

0:09:06.060,0:09:07.379
and the sound of my voice,

0:09:07.380,0:09:09.669
and the weight of my shoes[br]against the floor,

0:09:09.670,0:09:14.289
but they occur to me as part[br]of one single great conscious field

0:09:14.290,0:09:16.449
that stretches forward and backward.

0:09:16.450,0:09:20.449
That is the key to understanding[br]the enormous power of consciousness.

0:09:20.450,0:09:23.739
And we have not been able[br]to do that in a robot.

0:09:23.740,0:09:26.419
The disappointment of robotics[br]derives from the fact

0:09:26.420,0:09:28.859
that we don't know[br]how to make a conscious robot,

0:09:28.860,0:09:31.729
so we don't have a machine[br]that can do this kind of thing.

0:09:31.730,0:09:34.489
The next feature of consciousness

0:09:34.490,0:09:37.249
after this marvelous,[br]unified conscious field

0:09:37.250,0:09:40.159
is that it functions causally[br]in our behavior.

0:09:40.160,0:09:43.359
I gave you a scientific demonstration[br]by raising my hand,

0:09:43.360,0:09:45.229
but how is that possible?

0:09:45.230,0:09:48.709
How can it be[br]that this thought in my brain

0:09:48.710,0:09:50.856
can move material objects?

0:09:50.857,0:09:52.836
Well, I will tell you the answer.

0:09:52.837,0:09:54.636
--we don't know the detailed answer,

0:09:54.637,0:09:56.656
but we know the basic part of the answer--

0:09:56.657,0:09:59.416
and that is there are sequences[br]of neuron firings

0:09:59.417,0:10:03.306
and they terminate[br]where the acetylcholine is secreted

0:10:03.307,0:10:05.496
at the axon end-plates[br]of the motor neurons,

0:10:05.497,0:10:07.666
sorry to use[br]philosophical terminology here.

0:10:07.667,0:10:09.136
(Laughter)

0:10:09.137,0:10:10.306
But when it is secreted

0:10:10.307,0:10:12.406
at the axon end-plates[br]of the motor neurons,

0:10:12.407,0:10:15.056
a lot of wonderful things[br]happen in the ion channels

0:10:15.057,0:10:16.676
and the damned arm goes up.

0:10:16.677,0:10:18.536
And think of what I have told you.

0:10:18.537,0:10:20.046
One and the same event,

0:10:20.047,0:10:23.226
my conscious decision to raise my hand

0:10:23.227,0:10:24.846
has a level of description

0:10:24.847,0:10:28.086
where it has all of these touchy-feely,[br]spiritual qualities,

0:10:28.087,0:10:29.826
--it's a thought in my brain--

0:10:29.827,0:10:30.926
but at the same time,

0:10:30.927,0:10:32.856
it's busy secreting acetylcholine

0:10:32.857,0:10:34.657
and doing all sorts of other things

0:10:34.670,0:10:37.019
as it makes its way from the motor cortex

0:10:37.020,0:10:40.379
down through the nerves fibers[br]and the arm.

0:10:40.380,0:10:44.379
Now, what that tells us[br]is that our traditional vocabularies

0:10:44.380,0:10:47.509
for discussing these issues,[br]are totally obsolete!

0:10:47.510,0:10:49.189
One and the same event,

0:10:49.190,0:10:52.369
has a level of description[br]where's neurobiological,

0:10:52.370,0:10:54.729
and another level of description[br]where's mental,

0:10:54.730,0:10:56.049
and that's a single event

0:10:56.050,0:10:57.479
and that's how nature works,

0:10:57.480,0:11:01.549
that's how is possible[br]for consciousness to function causally.

0:11:01.550,0:11:03.959
Now, with that in mind,

0:11:03.960,0:11:07.259
with going through these various features[br]of consciousness,

0:11:07.260,0:11:10.259
let's go back and answer[br]some of those early objections.

0:11:10.260,0:11:13.889
Well, the first one I said,[br]was consciousness doesn't exist,

0:11:13.890,0:11:14.850
it's an illusion.

0:11:14.851,0:11:16.429
Well, I've already answered that

0:11:16.430,0:11:18.619
I don't think we need to worry about that.

0:11:18.620,0:11:21.160
But the second one,[br]had an incredible influence

0:11:21.160,0:11:22.919
and may still be around,[br]and that is

0:11:22.920,0:11:26.019
if consciousness exists,[br]it's really something else;

0:11:26.020,0:11:28.679
it's really a digital computer program

0:11:28.680,0:11:30.219
running in your brain,

0:11:30.220,0:11:32.969
and that's what we need to do[br]to create consciousness,

0:11:32.970,0:11:34.399
get the right program.

0:11:34.400,0:11:36.779
Forget about the hardware,[br]any hardware will do,

0:11:36.780,0:11:40.275
provided is rich enough and stable enough[br]to carry the program.

0:11:40.276,0:11:41.939
Now, we know that that's wrong.

0:11:41.940,0:11:44.989
I mean, anybody who's thought[br]about computers at all

0:11:44.990,0:11:46.789
can see that that's wrong.

0:11:46.790,0:11:49.929
Because computation is defined[br]as symbol manipulation,

0:11:49.930,0:11:52.989
usually thought as 0s and 1s,[br]but any symbols will do.

0:11:52.990,0:11:54.309
You get an algorithm

0:11:54.310,0:11:59.519
that you can program in a binary code

0:11:59.520,0:12:04.209
and that's the defining trait[br]of the computer program.

0:12:04.210,0:12:08.209
But we know that's purely syntactical,[br]that's symbolic,

0:12:08.210,0:12:11.429
we know that actual human consciousness

0:12:11.430,0:12:14.429
has something more than that,[br]it's got a content,

0:12:14.430,0:12:16.859
in addition to the syntax,[br]it's got a semantics.

0:12:16.860,0:12:18.509
I made that argument,

0:12:18.510,0:12:20.869
--oh, my god![br]I don't want to think about it!--

0:12:20.870,0:12:22.259
more that 30 years ago,

0:12:22.260,0:12:25.199
but there is a deeper argument[br]implicit in what I've told you.

0:12:25.200,0:12:28.130
And I want to tell you that argument[br]briefly, and that is:

0:12:28.631,0:12:32.630
consciousness creates an observer[br]independent reality.

0:12:32.631,0:12:36.290
It creates a reality of money,[br]property, government,

0:12:36.291,0:12:39.470
marriage, CERN, conferences,

0:12:39.471,0:12:43.540
cocktail parties, and summer vacations.

0:12:43.541,0:12:45.850
And all of those[br]are creations of consciousness.

0:12:45.851,0:12:48.310
Their existence is observer-relative.

0:12:48.311,0:12:50.730
It's only relative to conscious agents;

0:12:50.731,0:12:52.680
that a piece of paper is a money,

0:12:52.681,0:12:55.230
or a bunch of buildings is a university.

0:12:55.231,0:12:58.130
Now, ask yourselves about computation.

0:12:58.131,0:12:59.570
Is that absolute?

0:12:59.571,0:13:02.100
Like force, and mass,[br]and gravitational attraction?

0:13:02.101,0:13:03.960
Or is it observer-relative?

0:13:03.961,0:13:07.960
Well, some computations are intrinsic.

0:13:07.961,0:13:09.750
I add two plus two to get four,

0:13:09.751,0:13:12.550
that's going on no matter[br]what anybody thinks.

0:13:12.551,0:13:16.550
But when I hold out my pocket calculator[br]and do the calculation,

0:13:16.551,0:13:18.560
the only intrinsic phenomenon

0:13:18.561,0:13:21.680
is the electronic circuit[br]and its behavior.

0:13:21.681,0:13:23.810
That's the only absolute phenomenon.

0:13:23.811,0:13:25.760
All the rest is interpreted by us.

0:13:25.761,0:13:29.760
Computation only exists[br]relative to consciousness.

0:13:29.761,0:13:32.640
Either a conscious agent[br]is carrying the computation

0:13:32.641,0:13:34.160
or it has a piece of machinery

0:13:34.161,0:13:37.040
that admits[br]of a computational interpretation.

0:13:37.041,0:13:39.240
That doesn't mean[br]computation is arbitrary,

0:13:39.241,0:13:41.520
I spent a lot of money[br]on this hardware,

0:13:41.521,0:13:43.690
but we have this persistent confusion

0:13:43.691,0:13:46.230
between objectivity and subjectivity

0:13:46.231,0:13:48.010
as features of reality,

0:13:48.011,0:13:50.280
and objectivity and subjectivity

0:13:50.281,0:13:52.560
as features of claims.

0:13:52.561,0:13:55.660
And the bottom line[br]of this part of my talk, is this:

0:13:55.661,0:13:59.660
you can have[br]a completely objective science,

0:13:59.661,0:14:02.590
a science where you make[br]objectively true claims

0:14:02.591,0:14:05.400
about a domain whose existence[br]is subjective,

0:14:05.401,0:14:08.860
whose existence is in the human brain,

0:14:08.861,0:14:12.860
consisting of subjective states[br]or sensations, or feeling, or awareness.

0:14:12.861,0:14:16.860
So the objection, that you can't have[br]an objective science of consciousness

0:14:16.861,0:14:20.860
because it's subjective,[br]and science is objective,

0:14:20.861,0:14:24.320
that's a pun, that's a bad pun[br]on objectivity and subjectivity.

0:14:24.321,0:14:29.380
You can make objective claims[br]about a domain that is subjective

0:14:29.381,0:14:30.840
in its mode of existence,

0:14:30.841,0:14:34.470
and indeed, that's what neurologists do.

0:14:34.471,0:14:37.020
You have patients[br]that actually suffered pains

0:14:37.021,0:14:39.720
and you are trying to get[br]an objective science of that.

0:14:39.721,0:14:41.720
I promised to refute all these guys,

0:14:41.721,0:14:43.941
but I don't have[br]an awful lot of time left,

0:14:43.961,0:14:46.310
but let me refute a couple more of them.

0:14:46.311,0:14:50.600
I said that behaviorism ought to be[br]one of the great embarrassments

0:14:50.601,0:14:52.130
of our intellectual culture,

0:14:52.131,0:14:54.610
because it's refuted the moment[br]you think about it.

0:14:54.611,0:14:58.020
Your mental states are identical[br]with your behavior?

0:14:58.021,0:15:00.920
Well, think about the distinction[br]between feeling a pain,

0:15:00.921,0:15:02.820
and engaging in pain behavior.

0:15:02.821,0:15:04.780
I mean, I won't demonstrate pain behavior

0:15:04.781,0:15:07.440
but I can tell you[br]I am not having any pains right now!

0:15:07.441,0:15:08.930
So it's an obvious mistake.

0:15:08.931,0:15:10.420
Why did they make the mistake?

0:15:10.421,0:15:12.111
The mistake was, and you go back

0:15:12.121,0:15:15.380
and ready the literature on this,[br]you can see this over and over,

0:15:15.381,0:15:17.960
they think [that] if you accept

0:15:17.961,0:15:21.390
the irreducible existence[br]of consciousness,

0:15:21.391,0:15:23.010
you're giving up on science,

0:15:23.011,0:15:24.940
you're giving up on 300 years

0:15:24.941,0:15:27.890
of human progress and human hope[br]and all the rest of it.

0:15:27.891,0:15:30.900
And the message[br]I want to leave you with is

0:15:30.901,0:15:35.400
consciousness has to become accepted[br]as a genuine biological phenomenon,

0:15:35.401,0:15:38.590
as much subject to scientific analysis

0:15:38.591,0:15:41.360
as any other phenomena in biology,[br]or, for that matter,

0:15:41.361,0:15:42.690
the rest of science!

0:15:42.691,0:15:43.870
Thank you very much.

0:15:43.871,0:15:45.161
(Applause)