A discussion and social group for academics and non academics interested in the scientific study of consciousness. What is consciousness? We all know the immediate experience of what it is to be conscious, but from a scientific perspective what on earth it is!? Is it as Francis Cricks "Astonishing Hypothesis" suggests - a phenomena completely explainable as the result of complex neuronal interactions, or is it a quantum mechanical phenomena ? Perhaps its a self-referential computer program running in the brain, or just an elaborate illusion - or is consciousness actually the ultimate underpinning of all reality... ? So far little consensus has been achieved on which of these wildly diverse approaches (if any) is correct. However, ongoing improvements in brain scanning technologies and developments in artificial intelligence ensure that the field continues to rapidly evolve, so the future promises some exciting developments! The group will provide a forum to review and informally discuss some of these wide ranging theories with video viewings and book reviews and also (hopefully) some in person lectures from local experts (given that NYC academic institutions are a hotbed of neuroscience and the philosophy of mind). We'll also discuss some of the potential implications of a successful scientific theory and what kind of tools it might lead to for enhancing consciousness in the future.