Consciousness, Free Will, & Meaning

How humans evolved, from the first vertebrates through primates and early hominins to Homo sapiens, including the role of fire and diet.

What humans look like described from the outside, as if by a visitor with no stake in the answer.

The harder questions about the origin of life: how to define life, where viruses fit, and newer ideas such as the free energy principle.

How simple rules produce complex systems, from cells to societies, and the difference between weak and strong emergence.

Notes on Waking Up by Sam Harris.

Notes on A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century by Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein.

Recommended reading on consciousness, the self, free will and meaning, starting with Anil Seth’s Being You.

Notes on Biohacker’s Handbook by Olli Sovijärvi, Teemu Arina and Jaakko Halmetoja.

Notes on Athene’s Theory of Everything, a documentary video.

Notes on Recapture the Rapture by Jamie Wheal.