5 Comments

1. 

   Jennifer Olsen on July 28, 2010 at 5:23 pm

   Review by Jennifer Olsen for Consciousness
   Rating:
   The ramifications of the theories explored in this series are intense! Basically, the idea is that biology might have found a way to detect quantum signals, similar to the way it optimized neurons to detect photons in our eyes, which are made of neurons and are extensions of our brain. If neurons figured out how to interpret light, then perhaps they are developing to interpret quantum particles, which are simply particles even smaller than photons. If the brain can do this, then the feelings of being connected are real, and would explain why some people have these feelings more strongly than others. Imagine the first life-forms that could interpret light, how strange it must have been, and unbelievable to those life-forms that couldn’t. It also means we would be connected in real time to other similarly-built life-forms across the universe. Of course, at this point, our quantum abilities are probably so rudimentary that we only detect these tiny particles/frequencies the way a bat senses light, with little accuracy or definition.

   This series not only explores these theories, but also entertains most other major current ideas of the small but growing league of scientists brave enough to tackle this exciting new field. Most of the people in the series are top professors at major universities, and this is the topic that consumes them most, so it’s very much worth viewing. And, it might well be that some of these people and their theories go down in the history books as revolutions in science, the way Einstein and Bohr and Heisenberg and their original theories of quantum physics are now acknowledged as revolutionary. And, at $39.95, this is a steal. Most series of academic quality like this cost several hundred dollars. The company behind it is obviously more interested in dispersing knowledge than in making a buck, which is a refreshing attitude. This new 5 DVD version should be a part of everyone’s permanent collection.

2. 

   Diana Gussman Ph.D on July 28, 2010 at 5:37 pm

   Review by Diana Gussman Ph.D for Consciousness
   Rating:
   This box set is a must have for anyone who finds themselves constantly thinking about the bigger questions in life, unwilling to accept the stock answers inherited from our past. This title was made around the same time as “What The Bleep Do We Know” and has some of the same scientists, as well as quite a few others who will probably go down in history as the forefathers of the scientific pursuit of consciousness.

   Many of the biggest names in the field (Hameroff, Radin, Newberg, Woolf, Tuszynski, LaBerge, Ramachandran) are allowed to fully elaborate on their research, theories, thoughts, and feelings, without their words being edited out of context to fit some filmmaker’s silly theory, which is what other titles are often critiqued for. If you like your science served raw, straight from the source, with no middleman spin, this series is for you.

   Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, spent the final third of his life trying to solve the great mystery of consciousness, so it is no easy task. Nonetheless, the 20 scientists in this series have essentially dedicated their lives to the quest.

   The great thing about this series is that it was not created with an agenda, which is the flaw in many titles, and which is antithetical to science itself. Some of the scientists argue persuasively that our brains can achieve a quantum state, and that this state would allow us to become entangled, or essentially become one with, each other, which would explain a lot of the feelings of connectedness we have. Others in the series offer complete counterpoints to this argument, with theories that at first sound even more impossible, but which may in fact turn out to be accurate, like Sevush’s theory that each of our neurons is individually conscious, but that we need billions of them in order to amplify the signal enough to make our body move.

   There are persuasive arguments from all sides, making this title a very balanced, in depth exploration of this exciting new field of study. I highly recommend it.

3. 

   John J. Fetzer on July 28, 2010 at 5:55 pm

   Review by John J. Fetzer for Consciousness
   Rating:
   Overall I enjoyed watching the DVD. I ended up viewing it over the course of a week, watching one disc per night. I found some of the topics much more interesting than others, but there is a good amount of variety amongst the thinkers in this film.

   If you are looking for fancy animations or backgrounds you won’t find them in this set. The person simply sits in front of a blue background and speaks on their field. I’m not quite sure if it’s entirely worth the $40, that’s the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. It’s incredibly interesting, but I think it should be more like $25 or $30.

   If you have watched What the bleep or have read any other books on meditation, spirituality or the brain, this DVD set will provide a more in-depth look giving many different viewpoints & opinions. If you’re into this sort of thing, you should definitely get it.

4. 

   Manuel F. Stagars on July 28, 2010 at 6:31 pm

   Review by Manuel F. Stagars for Consciousness
   Rating:
   This total immersion into the world’s latest theories on consciousness includes in-depth discussions with the twenty scientists listed below on topics as diverse as quantum biophysics, nano-neuroscience, philosophy, meditation, metaphysics, dreaming, causation, and the paranormal, all of which are converging into the greatest exploration of all time, to understand just who, or what, we are. This series not only includes top scientists from “What the Bleep”, but also many others who have been working on this grand equation for decades, including the following great minds, a virtual who’s who from this exciting new field:

   Dr. Stuart Hameroff, M.D. Professor, Anesthesiology and Psychology, Associate Director, Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona.

   Dr. Andrew B. Newberg, M.D. Professor, Dept. of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, co-author of “The Mystical Mind”

   Nancy J. Woolf, Ph.D. Professor, Laboratory of NanoNeuroscience, Department of Psychology, UCLA

   Jack A. Tuszynski, Ph.D. Professor of Biophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, University of Alberta, Canada

   David Chalmers, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Philosophy; Director, Center For Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona,

   Dick Bierman, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University

   Vilayanur Ramachandran, Ph.D., MD Director, Center for Brain and Cognition; Professor, Department of Psychology and Neurosciences Program, University of
   
   California, San Diego; Adjunct Professor of Biology, Salk Institute

   Paavo Pylkkanen M.Sc., Ph.D. Professor, Consciousness Studies Programme, Department of Humanities, University of Skovde, Sweden.

   Dr. Petra Stoerig, Ph.D. Professor of Experimental Psychology, University of Dusseldorf

   C. Van Youngman, Professor of Psychology, Art Institute of Philadelphia, Department of General Education

   Dr. Steven Sevush, M.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Miami

   Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. Director of the Lucidity Institute and author of Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming.

   Dean Radin, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Institute of Noetic Sciences

   Tony Bell, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Redwood Neuroscience Institute

   Ellery Lanier, Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Program, New Mexico State University

   Gregg H. Rosenberg, Ph.D. Post-doctoral Fellow/Assistant Research Scientist,
   
   Artificial Intelligence Center, The University of Georgia

   Christian Seiter, Department of Psychology, Institut für Umweltmedizin, University of Freiburg

   Chester Wildey, M.Sc. The University of Texas at Arlington

   Willoughby Britton, University of Arizona, Tucson

   Susan Blackmore, Author of “The Meme Machine”

   Adele Engel Behar, Satellite Captiva Ltd.

5. 

   Keith Mirenberg on July 28, 2010 at 6:54 pm

   Review by Keith Mirenberg for Consciousness
   Rating:
   This excellent DVD box set documented interesting presentations on several theories of consciousness. The presenting researchers included MD’s and other individuals with world class credentials in: brain research, molecular biology, neurobiology, organic chemistry, computers and electronics, test engineering, math and statistics, theoretical and experimental physics, philosopy and even some part time poets. Although this box set was a bit pricey it was a high quality DVD production hosted by a talented and intelligent interviewer and very well edited. As far as presentation it is a discussion of each of the speakers findings and does not include any screen graphics or other visual materials. Excellent editing does a good job of making up for this omission.

   One speaker indicated that consciousness may exist in the universe and is something that we are able to “tap into” biologically in order to acquire awareness of self. Furthermore, it is partially explainable on a quantum level using the Schrödinger equation. A good case for this theory has been made to the satisfaction of a significant portion of the growing consciousness community. High speed quantum computers are currently at a prototype level and only beginning their technological evolution.

   I am excited by this idea because it opens up the possibility that a sufficiently complex machine can acquire some form of consciousness without necessarily taking a biological path. Although we all “experience” consciousness, there is no way we can really convince another of our own “awareness” on philosophical grounds. I do have to admit that as a practical matter, I am convinced of my own consciousness as well as yours. Notwithstanding, that is not what the philosophers tell us, and I believe it may be rooted in “existentialism”.

   Since an early age I have believed that the future held two very exciting possibilities. Either we will be able to construct a fully conscious machine, or we will by default, demonstrate the “spiritual nature” of self awareness, as this may be something that mankind will never be able reproduce no matter how clever we become with our computer technology. This is sometimes referred to as “the ghost in the machine” and can be found in respectable literature and film.

   It is for the above reason that I find sci-fi movies that deal in a serious way with “conscious” computers or robot developments especially fascinating. I have also been waiting (with considerable disappointment) for the development of AI and a fully autonomous humanoid robot. Although IBM’s chess master “Big Blue” and HONDA’s humanoid bipedal robot, ASIMO, have been two noteworthy developments, I have been waiting for at least 50 years and still continue to wait.

   While we may never be able to produce conscious computers, there is still hope for constructing a machine similar to 2001’s HAL computer which Arthur Clarke projected to possess intelligence (AI) by that year. At least during his early years, Clarke believed there was no practical way to test for consciousness in AI machines beyond something called the “Turing test”, discussed below. I have only recently learned that later in life he believed not only in AI, but that the future held the development of conscious computers. This despite the failure of his prediction of an AI computer like HAL by 2001. He may have changed his opinion due to the current state of development of quantum computers which are projected to be capable of computation speeds approaching that estimated for the human brain by 25 to 50 years from now. I personally believe we will be able to produce convincing AI and the fully autonomous robot within 20 years from today with some clever programming work as well as the speeds permitted by silicon chips.

   I have until now found compelling the well known argument that there is no way to test for machine intelligence, let alone consciousness, beyond the Turing test. The Turing test is a proposal for a test of a machine’s capability to demonstrate intelligence if not awareness. Described by Alan Turing in the 1950 paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence,” it proceeds as follows: a human judge engages in a natural language conversation with one human and one machine, each of which try to appear human; if the judge cannot reliably tell which is which, then the machine is said to pass the test. In order to keep the test setting simple and universal the conversation is usually limited to a text-only channel such as a teletype machine (as Turing suggested).

   This DVD discusses new developments that make me uncertain about the limitations of our test capabilities for machine awareness, and the theories covered in this DVD hold hope for understanding human, animal and even machine sentience, as well as new practical tests for awareness.

   Be prepared for some pretty articulate speakers and some unconventional people as far as behavior, dress and just plain brilliance are concerned. A couple of these individuals appeared to hold some very strange ideas; however, most of them are scientists in the strictest sense and deserve your attention.