The Origin of Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona
The age-old study of consciousness fell into disfavor in behaviorist-oriented psychology during most of the 20th century. In the late 1980s, popular books by notable scientists including Francis Crick and Roger Penrose revived interest, and in 1994 the first interdisciplinary conference on the topic was held at the University of Arizona, organized by Professors Stuart Hameroff in Anesthesiology, Al Kaszniak in Psychology, Alwyn Scott in Mathematics, and Jim Laukes in Extended UA. A highlight was a talk by then-unknown philosopher David Chalmers. "The first morning was philosophy; the first two talks were really boring and the audience grew restless. Then Chalmers took the stage with shoulder-length hair, strutting like Mick Jagger," recalled Hameroff, professor emeritus in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology. "Chalmers talked about how problems like memory, learning, attention, and behavior were relatively easy compared to the really 'hard problem' of how and why we have conscious experience," Hameroff said. "We could have been nonconscious, robot-like 'zombies' with behavior but no inner life. How and why do we have feelings and awareness? That was the 'hard problem.” "The audience buzzed” Hameroff said. “At that moment, we knew why we were there."
The 1994 conference spurred broad interest. "We hadn't considered a follow-up conference," recalls Hameroff, "but there was great demand for an interdisciplinary approach.” The Center for Consciousness Studies was formally created by the Arizona Board of Regents in 1998 with a grant from the Fetzer Institute, and Chalmers soon returned to join the UArizona Department of Philosophy and serve as the second CCS director, taking over from Al Kaszniak. CCS was housed in the Department of Psychology, which at the time was in the College of SBS. When Chalmers left the UA five years later, Hameroff became CCS director, hired Abi Behar-Montefiore as assistant director, and moved CCS to the Department of Anesthesiology in the College of Medicine. In her 18 years, Abi has skillfully managed CCS, its conferences and research, and helped establish a community among conference participants. In 2019, CCS returned to the College of SBS where a minor in consciousness studies was established.
2025 The Science of Consciousness Conference is now under the auspices of AABC Arizona Astrobiology Center.