What is consciousness? Watch as The Economist asks philosophers and brain scientists.


We've come a long way from René Descartes and "I think, therefore I am" — kind of. "Without consciousness, we have no way of proving we, or anything else, exists," says The Economist, in its exploration of perhaps the core feature of being human. "And yet, what it is and why we have it remain a mystery that some of the greatest minds have been unable to solve." This fascinating look at the various theories doesn't solve it, either, but it provides a good summary of what questions scientists and philosophers are engaging with. "Debate is fierce," The Economist notes, and some experts think consciousness is a mystery humans are incapable of solving. Others disagree. You won't know why you know who you are at the end of this video, but you'll be closer — and you'll probably have a greater appreciation for your limited self-knowledge as well. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Is this the end for India's Maoist insurgency?
Under The Radar Narendra Modi clamps down on Naxalite jungle rebels in move some see as attempt to seize mineral wealth
-
Discrimination: Expanding the definition
Feature The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a straight woman who sued her gay boss for discrimination
-
Crime: Why murder rates are plummeting
Feature Despite public fears, murder rates have dropped nationwide for the third year in a row
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study finds
Speed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves baby
speed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beat
speed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
-
Humans heal much slower than other mammals
Speed Read Slower healing may have been an evolutionary trade-off when we shed fur for sweat glands
-
Novel 'bone collector' caterpillar wears its prey
Speed Read Hawaiian scientists discover a carnivorous caterpillar that decorates its shell with the body parts of dead insects
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brain
Speed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature