Upcoming Public Talks and Events
November 4th-6th 2022
Beyond the Brain conference (online)
Talk on Sunday 6th, 11.30am
Consciousness – what it is and why it is not in the brain
In the first half of the talk, Dr Robinson will present a definition and model of normal waking consciousness in human beings, based on three interdependent parts: the observer, the observed and the knower. This definition is influenced by the distinction between dreaming and lucid dreaming, with the latter being closer to normal waking consciousness than the former. He will also explain why identifying consciousness with subjective experience is problematic, arguing that the subjective/objective distinction is in fact a division within consciousness. In the second half of the talk, he will present a series of linked rational and empirical arguments to show that consciousness is definitively not in the brain. He will go on to provide an answer to where it is, on the basis that it is not in the brain.
Past Talks - recordings
35 minute talk introducing 3 of the 7 paths from the book "Paths Between Head and Heart" - done in July 2018
15 minute talk on the modern history of science and spirituality