Brief summary

Then I Am Myself the World delves into the scientific pursuit of consciousness, exploring how our brains create our subjective experience. It entertains philosophical musings and empirical research to unravel human self-awareness.

Table of Contents

What’s in it for me? Expand your mind.

You might remember a photo that went viral a few years ago – it was all over social media. The picture showed a striped dress that was blue and black. Or was it white and gold?

The online debate got pretty heated. And while it might seem like a silly meme, the discussion about the dress is actually very revealing. It shows how our perceptions can differ hugely, even when we’re looking at the same thing.

The dress is just one example from Then I Am Myself the World, in which Christof Koch helps to unravel the mysteries of the mind.

Koch is a leading expert on consciousness. And while he doesn’t claim to have all the answers, he offers some fascinating insights.

What does it mean to be conscious, exactly? And how can we expand our consciousness?

You’ll find out in just a moment.

Just so you know, we’ll be keeping things simple. We won’t be going into Koch’s more complex ideas, such as his work on integrated information theory.

But whether you're curious about the science behind our senses, or the profound effects of transformative experiences, this Blink offers a journey into the essence of our awareness.

You might just discover new ways to expand your own consciousness, enriching your understanding of both yourself and the world around you.

Consciousness is what we experience

So, what do we mean by “consciousness?”

According to the neurophysiologist Christof Koch, who’s spent decades studying consciousness, it boils down to this – experience. To be conscious is to experience things.

As conscious beings, we have so many different types of experiences. Let’s go through some of them now, so we can appreciate just how complex and amazing our consciousness really is.

First off, we have the obvious – the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste, which help us to experience the world.

We also have our imagination, though the ability to imagine and visualize things can vary hugely from person to person.

Another form of consciousness is something called interoceptive precepts – experiences associated with physical sensors. They keep us anchored in the physical word, and keep us alive. Hunger, for instance – it tells us that we need to eat.

Then we have emotions – the basics like anger and anxiety, as well as more complex, composite states like saudade – a Portuguese word that captures the longing for something that’s been lost forever.

But senses and emotions only form part of our conscious experience. We also have self-awareness, and meta-consciousness – the ability to reflect on an experience.

Then there’s dreaming, daydreaming, and zoning out. Our minds are constantly wandering.

Finally, we have another category of conscious experience that relates to the loss of self. This can happen through flow state, meditation, or something more extreme, like a psychedelic trip, or even a near-death experience.

These states of consciousness are particularly interesting, so we’ll look at them in more depth later.

But for now, let’s take a moment to appreciate how incredible it is to be conscious at all. We all have an intimate understanding of what life feels like.

Which leads us to another question. Do you and I experience life in the same way? Do we share the same reality?

The short, and maybe surprising answer, is “no.”

We can influence our reality

You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect. In a medical context, it’s when a patient is given harmless medication, such as a sugar pill. The pill calms the patient, but it’s not designed to actually cure a condition.

And yet…sometimes it works. For instance, studies show that SSRIs – the standard treatment for depression – are only slightly more effective than a placebo.

Ways to expand consciousness

Buddhism teaches that there’s no “true self” – no permanent essence that defines you. But what does exist is the experience of self – the endlessly chattering “I” in your mind.

Sometimes, a sense of self is useful – when you’re working towards a goal, for example. But that inner voice can also be exhausting, leading us to obsess and brood.

Key ideas in Then I Am Myself the World