The advent of consciousness was a crucial point in the long trajectory of life. For us, Sapiens, this evolutionary leap, besides opening the doors to the development of an immense cultural and technological framework, provided us with the riveting experience of subjectivity, our “private infinite”. But the phenomenon of consciousness is not exclusive to humans and manifests itself in different forms in the whole complex web of life. Nowadays, in a world with visible signs of collapse, to understand the role of being conscious is, undoubtedly, a crucial factor to the outcome of the 21st Century.
The TV series Consciousness³ has five different thematic threads: Consciousness; The Other; The web of life; Science; Gaia.
To weave this rich textile of experiences and ideas, each of the 5 episodes will have three guests of diverse backgrounds and locations, share a profound knowledge of their field of practice as well as originality of thought and action.
Episode 1 – Consciousness
The origin of consciousness is still a great enigma, considered by many as indecipherable. But the are some people who devote themselves to solving this mystery, such as the guests of the first episode of the Consciousness³ series, in which we investigate what is consciousness, what are the existing hypotheses about its emergence and how it evolved along the chain of life. In the first episode we will ponder on why, in spite of us having developed a brain capable of producing consciousness, we got to the brink of collapse in our current way of life with attitudes or choices anything but conscious.
Episode 2 – The Other
There is plenty of evidence that the ability to cooperate in large groups and around common beliefs has made the Sapiens the most successful species on the planet. We will investigate the phenomenon of collective conscience and life in society, pondering about what generates intolerance towards the Other and the different, in spite our species having developed the ability to empathize very early in the neurological evolution of consciousness.
Episode 3 – The web of life
Interdependence, from the most rudimentary forms of life to the largest and most complex, conducts this incredible orchestra that is life on Earth. But for a very long time we Sapiens have sought a separation from nature, therefore denying the existence of this beautifully conducted orchestra and, furthermore, denying the subjectivity of other beings and the vital importance of the systems that they belong to. In the third episode of the series, scientists and environmental activists will demonstrate empirically the wonderful intelligence of the web of life.
Episode 4 –Science
Science has provided humankind with undeniable advances through the centuries, be it in the paths taken in the past, be it in the transforming steps that may still be taken. However, walls hard to overcome by most have also been built, brick by brick, around the knowledge generated, setting a deep moat between the world of science and society, and sometimes forfeiting ethical values as the foundation stone for the generation of knowledge. In our fourth episode, we will show how important it is for science to work closely with society, in days of widespread fundamentalism of every nature, towards the building of a common understanding of the knowledge it generates.
Episode 5 – Gaia
For the ancient Greeks, Gaia was the Mother Earth, mother of all living beings, of the sources, minerals and plants. In 1971, scientists James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis formulated the theory of Gaia – the Earth as a self-regulating and evolving living system. This theory is being tested, but even as a metaphor, to think of Earth as a living being is a valuable vision. Today, we live in the emergence of a new consciousness in which the value of life, the care with the land, the beauty and strength of human diversity is essential for the preservation of biodiversity on the planet. In the fifth episode, we will reflect on the hugeness of the planetary consciousness and our responsibility for an effective paradigm shift.
Consciousness³ 