Inquiry
Following the questions beyond the episodes.
Essays, maps and visual explorations of consciousness, identity, science, philosophy, religion and emerging technology.
Featured Inquiry
Essay · AI / Consciousness / Moral Character
Empty Inside
As artificial intelligence becomes more capable and agentic, the question may not only be whether machines can become conscious. It may be what happens if they become extraordinarily intelligent without ever possessing an inner life.
What does intelligence become without consciousness? Can wisdom exist without experience? Can conscience exist without consciousness? And before we create systems that may someday exceed our own cognitive abilities, what should we understand about moral character and what it means to be human?
Prompted by recent warnings from researchers at Anthropic about the potential risks of superintelligent AI.
Read the essay →Visual Inquiry
Map · Consciousness / AI / Philosophy of Mind
Where Could Consciousness Live?
A map of possible conscious beings, biological substrates, synthetic systems, and the worldviews that would allow them.
We know consciousness exists in ourselves, but beyond that certainty the boundaries become increasingly difficult to draw. This visual map places humans, animals, organoids, hybrid systems and artificial intelligence alongside the philosophical worldviews that may, or may not, allow consciousness to exist within them.
Explore the map →