Depression is more than low mood – it’s a change of consciousness
Understanding depression as an altered state of consciousness, like a dream or drug trip, could help people awaken from it
by Cecily Whiteley & Jonathan Birch
Consciousness
What happens to the brain during consciousness-ending meditation?
Psychologists are studying a form of meditation known as ‘nirodha-samāpatti’ that reportedly ceases all mental function
by Shayla Love
What dream characters reveal about the astonishing dreaming brain
Such stuff as dreams are made on: the characters who populate your dreams have their own minds, separate from yours
by Antonio Zadra
When does the first spark of human consciousness ignite?
We can’t ask babies what they’re feeling, but ingenious new methods are shedding light on the origins of subjective awareness
by Joel Frohlich
How to think about consciousness
What is it like to be you? Dive into the philosophical puzzle of consciousness and see yourself and the world in new ways
by Amy Kind
Why your consciousness depends on the low-entropy early Universe
What would your time-reverse twin think and feel walking back from the present into the past? And why does it matter?
by Jonathan Simon
Engaging with an artwork leaves you and the art transformed
When you engage with an artwork, a form of cognitive coupling takes place in which your mind and the art are transformed
by Miranda Anderson
My synaesthesia is no mere quirk but a self-shaking strangeness
My initial is pale pink, the month of June is cerulean blue: synaesthesia gets my senses crosswired, and makes me who I am
by Catherine Taylor
The myth of machine consciousness makes Narcissus of us all
The idea that AI can be conscious is a mistake. It’s just a very shiny mirror of humanity, reflecting what we want to see
by David Bentley Hart
The brain has a team of conductors orchestrating consciousness
The brain is like an orchestra: each region plays its part. But it takes a team of conductors to orchestrate consciousness
by Morten L Kringelbach & Gustavo Deco
A leaf, a bird and a fisherman animate Heraclitus’ aphorism on flux
A film by Michelle Brand
‘Nothing renders their beauty’ – can art ever capture the splendour of a flower?
A film by Miléna Trivier
If animals are persons, should they bear criminal responsibility?
Were medieval trials of animal criminals not a sign of backwardness, but in fact strangely progressive?
by Ed Simon
Monet understood the elusive power of a place’s atmosphere
The gist of a scene or place can subtly alter our very sense of being, an affecting quality captured by Monet’s paintings
by Pablo Fernandez Velasco
A woman summons a stoic calm after accidentally trapping herself in a shower
A film by Tom Schroeder
A patchwork memoir sewn from the odd memories that flicker then fade away
A film by Avi Zev Weider and David Chartier