some define the current study of consciousness as the pursuit to disentanglits neural circtry. this is the first step in our effort to ask about the nature of inner experience. one way scientists have begun this study is to look at correlations between brain acvity and different states of consciousness. why are we consciously able to pick up a pencil but unconscious of the sequence of muscle contractions that allow us to hold it. on a more profound level, how do neural connections actually create a sense of obctivity? for instance, how do we know that our perception of the color red isn't another person's idea of green. we'll also explore the importance of the unconscious. how do event wes may not be aware of actually shape our experience of the world and the decisions we make. are people we perceive as unconscious really unare? tonight we explore these and other questions with a remarkable group of scientists. patricia church churchland is a professor of philosophy at the university of california san diego and an adjunct professor at the salk institute. stanislas dehaene is a