Name: #98 Robert Lawrence Kuhn - A Landscape of Consciousness
Uploaded: 2025-10-09T08:05:00+00:00
Duration: 1 h 30 min
Description: Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer, host and executive producer of Closer To Truth, the definitive PBS/public television series and web archive on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of sci

18 days ago

Health & Science Weird Science consciousness philosophy Closer to Truth Robert Lawrence Kuhn theories of consciousness human existence meaning purpose neuroscience

Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer, host and executive producer of Closer To Truth, the definitive PBS/public television series and web archive on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Consciousness (brain/mind, philosophy of mind) and Meaning/God (philosophy of religion). CTT features leading scientists, philosophers and creative thinkers discussing fundamental questions with sophistication and subtlety (www.closertotruth.com). Peter Getzels is Closer To Truth co-creator, producer and director.

Closer To Truth is broadcast weekly on ~200 PBS and high-quality public television stations in the U.S. CTT has been on the air continuously since 2000, producing and broadcasting 300 episodes (more are in production). The Closer To Truth Youtube channel has >1800 videos with annual views (as of December 2021): 24 million views; 207 million minutes watch time; >400,000 subscribers (increasing 10-15,000 per month).

Dr. Kuhn has published over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with the philosopher John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); and The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (the first biography of a living Chinese leader published in China and China’s best-selling book in 2005).

Dr. Kuhn articles include “Why This Universe,” “Levels of Nothing,” and “Virtual Immortality” (Skeptic magazine) and “Science as Democratizer” (American Scientist). He is a featured “Expert Voice” on Space.com (www.Space.com) (multimedia essays on “Confronting the Multiverse: What Infinitely Universes would Mean”, “Testing the Multiverse: Beyond the Limits of Science?”, “Forget Space-Time: Information May Create the Cosmos”, “The Illusion of Time: What’s Real?”, “Is Our Universe a Fake?”) and on LiveScience.com (www.livescience.com) (“The Singularity, Virtual Immortality and the Trouble with Consciousness”, “Is Your ‘Self’ Just an Illusion?”, “Can Your ‘Self’ Survive Death?”).

For more than 30 years, Dr. Kuhn, with his long-time partner, Adam Zhu, has worked with China’s state leaders and advised the Chinese government. Dr. Kuhn is a commentator on the BBC, CNN, CCTV, Bloomberg, and a featured columnist in the South China Morning Post and China Daily. He was awarded the “China Reform Friendship Medal” by China’s President Xi Jinping at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of China’s historic reform and opening up (December 2018). The medal, China’s highest award, honors 10 foreigners who contributed to China’s reform and opening up over the four decades. Only five of the 10 foreigners are living; Dr. Kuhn is one of two Americans.

Dr. Kuhn spoke at the launch of President Xi Jinping’s book, The Governance of China. He is the creator, executive producer and host of the award-winning China’s Challenges documentary series (TV Emmy/LA; China News Award), broadcast on PBS stations and in China, and the weekly Closer to China with R.L.Kuhn (China politics, economics, society) on China Global Television Network (CGTN). He is an international corporate strategist and investment banker.

Dr. Kuhn has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), SM (MBA) in Management (MIT), and PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA). He is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation.

Summary

Robert Lawrence Kuhn discusses his lifelong passion for exploring the nature of consciousness and its implications for understanding reality. He shares insights from his work on Closer to Truth, emphasizing the diversity of theories surrounding consciousness and the importance of humility in the pursuit of knowledge. Kuhn reflects on his journey of exploring the nature of consciousness, the influence of his experiences in China, and the unifying nature of fundamental questions that transcend cultural boundaries.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Closer to Truth

03:31 Exploring the Landscape of Consciousness

06:21 The Role of Consciousness in Understanding Reality

09:34 Theories of Consciousness: A Broad Perspective

12:29 The Importance of Diverse Theories

15:21 The Process of Writing the Landscape of Consciousness

18:15 The Impact of Feedback on the Landscape of Consciousness

21:31 Learning and Unlearning in the Study of Consciousness

24:19 Suffering and Its Relation to Consciousness

27:10 Theories of Consciousness and Mental Health

30:15 Personal Theory of Consciousness