S2E104 - Consciousness Explained: Origins, Theories & Chakras | Onion Soup w/ Dexter

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S2E104 - Consciousness Explained: Origins, Theories & Chakras | Onion Soup w/ Dexter

In this Onion Soup episode, Dexter explores consciousness by tracing the origin of the word from Latin (knowledge shared with others and knowing with oneself), then follows its evolving definitions through the 1500s, John Locke (1690) and Diderot (1753). He explains why science struggles to study consciousness due to subjective experience and outlines two major schools of thought: materialism (consciousness emerging from brain matter and neuronal complexity) and dualism (consciousness as non-physical and interacting with the brain). Dexter highlights brain regions often discussed, including the thalamus, cortex, claustrum, and the pineal gland, then reviews key materialist theories (higher-order thought, integrated information, global workspace) and dualist theories (Cartesian dualism, interactionism). He concludes with perspectives from Buddhism, Hinduism (including chakras and transcendental consciousness), and Christianity, and briefly considers animal and plant consciousness.

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