Ep. 182 (Part 2 of 2) | Robert Lawrence Kuhn, producer of the popular PBS series Closer to Truth, which explores consciousness, the mystery of existence, and related topics with an open-minded approach, recently authored a remarkable article: “A Landscape of Consciousness,” in which he surveyed over 200 theories about what consciousness is. Robert tells how he inhabited each theory for a few days while writing it up, and discovered that unlike with other fields of knowledge, a study of consciousness produces more theories the more we know, rather than narrowing the field down. He emphasizes we need to be expansive with our universe of understanding of what consciousness is, and realize that how we engage with the Big Questions of life depends upon our particular theory of consciousness.

Robert tells how the Big Questions, notably what is consciousness and why is there something rather than nothing, have called him all his life, leading him to create the Closer to Truth series, to explore these questions with the leading minds of our time. What Robert didn’t know to begin with, but marvels about now, is how the passion for delving into the most fundamental, existential questions we face as humans unifies people around the world, from every demographic, providing a unique and wonderful point of integration. This is a fascinating, warm, engaging conversation that draws us ever farther into an exploration of the mysteries of life, where we glimpse what lies at the core of humanity. Recorded April 17th, 2025.

“It’s not that we have too many theories of consciousness, it’s that we have one too few.”

• The challenge of putting these theories into a digestible form (00:54)
• Understanding our personal theories of consciousness as extensions of our worldview (03:14)
• Our own theories often evolve from materialism to panpsychism to idealism (07:11)
• How the title Closer to Truth for the PBS/YouTube series came about (11:59)
• It’s easier to entertain materialist or atheist theories in environments constructed by humans—exposed to the natural universe, you encounter awe, wonder, connection (14:04)
• The concept of awe and transcendence in art and how it reflects our nature of mind (16:16)
• What has exploring these theories of consciousness done to Robert? (17:59)
• The closer we look, the more we end up in bottomless mystery (23:36)
• How exploring the Big Questions unifies people—cutting across religion, race, culture (25:28)
• Acknowledging the limits of knowledge—epistemic humility—appreciating the mystery, and universality (29:54)
• The deeper your understanding goes, the richer your appreciation and awe (31:16)

• Robert Lawrence Kuhn, creator, producer, and host of the PBS series, Closer To Truth
• Robert Lawrence Kuhn, “A Landscape of Consciousness,”article in Progress in Biophysics & Molecular Biology, August 2024
• Paul Davies, quantum physicist, director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, “The universe is about something.”