Herbert Harris, MD, PhD, is a psychiatrist and writer whose work bridges the sciences and humanities. After completing undergraduate studies in philosophy at Georgetown University, he obtained his MD and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and subsequently completed his psychiatry training at Yale. He subsequently dedicated 30 years to research in CNS translational medicine and clinical practice. Dr. Harris's current work investigates the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy of mind, examining how modern cognitive science informs our understanding of consciousness and subjective experience. As a Black psychiatrist, he has written about issues of race, identity, and social justice. His essays have appeared in Literary Hub, New England Review, and Creative Nonfiction, earning the 2021 Michael Steinberg Award and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. He co-edited Racial and Ethnic Identity: Psychological Development and Creative Expression (Routledge Press) and contributed to The Beiging of America anthology (2Leaf Press). Email, herb.hw [at] gmail.com
by Herbert Harris Many years ago, I began a meditation practice, sparked by curiosity and vague, middle-aged worries about stress and blood pressure. To my surprise, it quickly became a regular part of my life. I restlessly explored many forms of meditation and meditation groups, eventually coming to the San Francisco Zen Center. Before long,…
by Herbert Harris Is mathematics created or discovered? For over two thousand years, that question has puzzled philosophers and mathematicians alike. In Plato’s Meno, Socrates encourages an uneducated boy to “discover” a geometrical truth simply by answering a series of guided questions. To Plato, this demonstrated that mathematical knowledge is innate, that the soul recalls…
by Herbert Harris Artificial intelligence has emerged not as a single technology but as a civilization-transforming event. Our collective response has predictably polarized between apocalyptic fears of extinction and utopian dreams of abundance. The existential risks are real. As AI systems become increasingly powerful, their inner workings become increasingly opaque to their creators. This raises…
by Herbert Harris I began my psychiatric training in 1990, the year that marked the start of a program called the “Decade of the Brain.” This was a well-funded, high-profile initiative to promote neuroscience research, and it succeeded spectacularly. New imaging techniques, molecular insights, and psychopharmacological discoveries transformed psychiatry into a vibrant biomedical science. The…
by Herbert Harris In 2023, Stanford neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky’s bestseller ‘Determined’ declared free will to be a complete illusion. Sapolsky gathered a wealth of data from neuroscience to quantum mechanics in an effort to deliver a final knockout blow to our intuitive ideas of freedom. He then explores a wide range of ethical and social issues…
by Herbert Harris When we say, “I’m feeling self-conscious,” we usually mean we are uncomfortably aware of being the center of other people’s attention. We might worry about how we look, what we wear, or how we act. While we are, to some degree, concerned with aspects of ourselves, our main focus is on others…