Welcome to Chasing Life.

Today we've decided to take on one of the biggest topics, I think, in all of our lives.

What is consciousness and where does it come from?

In a minute, we're going to be joined by one of my favorite science writers, Michael Pollan,

who's written a book about this.

But I got to tell you, this is a topic I think about a lot, consciousness.

In fact, when I was in the operating room having just read this book, I was talking to my fellow

surgeons and residents about consciousness.

That's a very heart of what we do as brain surgeons.

Where does it reside in the brain?

Does it reside in the brain?

That would be dependent on really being able to define what consciousness is in the first place.

Look, I'm a brain surgeon.

I've spent decades of my life studying the brain, and yet I am still

perpetually fascinated by the mystery of sentience. This conversation only deepened my appreciation

for the gift of an inner life and also the interior monologue, the conversation that we continuously have with ourselves.

Is that a conversation we're having with our own consciousness?

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, and this to chasing life.

Thank you for joining us.

I always really enjoy our conversations.

I feel like we go in a lot of different directions.

And I read your book.

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