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Lights On

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Lights On

By: Annaka Harris
Narrated by: Annaka Harris
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About this listen

"Consciousness might be the greatest mystery of the universe, and Annaka Harris is our best detective... You'll never think about what happens between your ears in the same way again." -Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again

"Follow along as Annaka Harris interviews (and graciously challenges) the world's leading scientists on the nature of consciousness... Magnificent." -Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Quiet

As accessible as it is awe-inspiring, this exclusive audio documentary by New York Times bestselling author Annaka Harris explores the unknown corners of consciousness and the cosmos.

Is consciousness a fundamental building block of the universe, like gravity? Can humans develop new senses through neuroscience? And can artificial intelligence ever truly replicate the subjective experience of being conscious?

Join Annaka Harris as she calls on distinguished experts in science and philosophy to find answers to today's most perplexing questions about our minds and the universe at large. Through interviews with thinkers such as Brian Greene, David Eagleman, Anil Seth, Carlo Rovelli, and more, Harris presents diverse perspectives on whether consciousness could be considered a fundamental aspect of the universe.

This revolutionary idea challenges traditional neuroscience and quantum physics, shattering what we think we know about ourselves and scientific phenomena as foundational as space and time. Lights On also questions how a new understanding of consciousness might affect our perception of existence, our notions of free will, the development of technology, and the future of scientific discovery. In a follow-up to her seminal book, Conscious, this audio-original documentary offers beginners and experts alike a chance to unravel some of humankind's most enduring puzzles. Where Conscious presents new questions about felt experience, Lights On seeks to find the answers.

"Only Annaka Harris could take one of the greatest mysteries of science and make it not only an adventure but also deeply relevant to everyday human flourishing." -Dan Harris, author of the New York Times bestseller 10% Happier and host of the 10% Percent Happier podcast

Narrated by Annaka Harris; featuring Jay Shapiro, Susan Blackmore, Sean Carroll, Daniel Chamovitz, David Eagleman, Sascha Fink, Adam Frank, Philip Goff, Joseph Goldstein, Brian Greene, Donald Hoffman, Patrick House, Christof Koch, Janna Levin, George Musser, Carlo Rovelli, Zoë Schlanger, Anil Seth, Lee Smolin, Sara Imari Walker

Produced and directed by Jay Shapiro and Annaka Harris

©2025 Annaka Harris (P)2025 Macmillan Australia Audio
Psychology Psychology & Mental Health

What listeners say about Lights On

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Relief and awe

Waking Up meets Lights On. Two extraordinary people people shining different but complementary lights on what it is to be alive. Two scientists: a male with a rich historical interest in many schools of philosophy and a female with a rich interest in the future. But both very much alive in the present.

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Waking Up, again.

I loved the documentary format — journeying alongside Annaka as she shares her inner thoughts, gut instincts, doubts, and intuitions during each interview felt deeply immersive. It had a strangely calming effect on me and added a new layer to both my meditation practice and how I perceive the world. Some of the descriptive language was simply stunning.

As a long-time listener of Sam Harris through the Waking Up app, and more recently a reader of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, I can already tell Lights On will become another influential work in my personal library. More than anything, this documentary is a much needed reminder of what stares us in the face every day — the greatest of mysteries: That of Felt Experience.

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Ambitious attempt to explore an amazing topic!

All and all I would recommend this work, it deals with a very involved and interesting topic. I’m still undecided as to whether the documentary format was successful but it works in the format presented. A lot of the time I found the conversation to be beyond my understanding and I think that a strong grasp of quantum physics and associated terminology is important other wise it’s easy to get lost.
I loved the topic and its exploration.

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Annaka’s knowledge, insights and skill!

Foremostly, being able to broadly understand what Annaka was saying, because of the way she explained it so well, notwithstanding that the science involved is extremely challenging in many respects.

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Thought provoking

Love the way Annaka takes complex ideas and distills them into easily understood metaphors and explanations. Very thought provoking take on the nature of consciousness. Dialogue between her and her producer kept the listener on track. And awesome to hear the philosophers and scientists explain their take on things in their own voices. Loved this book.

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