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Life
Annaka Harris is an American writer whose work sits between neuroscience, physics, meditation and the philosophy of mind. For years she worked as an editor and consultant for science authors, especially in neuroscience and physics. Her short book Conscious (2019) became a New York Times bestseller; it walks through the 'hard problem' of consciousness, the sense of self, free will and panpsychism without claiming to settle them. She also wrote the children's book I Wonder (2013), has taught mindfulness to children as a volunteer, and in 2025 released Lights On, an audio documentary built from conversations with scientists and philosophers.
The system
- Consciousness as felt experience: the question 'is there something it is like to be this?'
- Our intuitions about consciousness and free will are often unreliable.
- Panpsychism treated as a serious hypothesis, not a belief.
Key works
- Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind (2019) Amazon
- I Wonder (2013, children's book) Amazon
- Lights On (2025, audio documentary) Amazon · Audible
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Where to start
- Conscious is short (about 140 pages) and a good first book on the hard problem.
Ask Orin
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What is the 'hard problem' of consciousness, as Annaka Harris explains it?Ask Orin this question