This is the first part of a mini-series on the philosophy of consciousness in the Philosophize This! podcast. I think this series is a good, beginner-friendly introduction to the philosophy of consciousness, and consciousness is a crucial topic for people interested in doing good effectively (especially according to utilitarianism) to understand. I've cross-posted the series to the EA Forum as a sequence in the hope that it will be useful.

Episode summary:

Today we talk about consciousness. The hard problem. Why it’s hard. The philosophical zombie thought experiment. What it’s like to be a bat. Blindsight. Hierarchies of consciousness. ChatGPT. Biological algorithms. Society ruled by the sanctity of consciousness.

See the full transcript of this episode here.