
The Dawn of Mind
How Matter Became Conscious and Alive
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Stephen Bel Davies
-
By:
-
James Cooke PhD
About this listen
Although consciousness is at the very center of who we are, its exact nature continues to confound modern science. From where does consciousness originate? At our core, are we material bodies or immaterial conscious minds? Many assume that consciousness is a product of our complex brains, a product of evolution—and yet, there is no evolutionary reason that a mechanical function of the brain should allow us to enjoy the beauty of a sunrise or become intoxicated with the smell of rain on dry earth. If consciousness is not the product of sophisticated human brains, might the nonhuman living world be conscious? If so, where does that place us in relation to the rest of life on Earth—and what does this imply about our domination and plundering of the natural world for resources? Dr. James Cooke is no stranger to intricate and existential questions such as these, and he confronts them head-on in his compelling, inventive, revolutionary new book, The Dawn of Mind: How Matter Became Conscious and Alive. Weaving together cutting-edge science and the contemplative insights that arise from mystical experience, as occurs with meditation and the emerging therapeutic paradigm of psychedelic medicine, Cooke radically redraws our understanding of what it truly means to be who we are.
©2024 James Cooke (P)2024 Tantor MediaListeners also enjoyed...
-
A Trackless Path
- A Commentary on the Great Completion (Dzogchen) Teaching O Jigmé Lingpa's Revelations of Ever-Present Good
- By: Ken McLeod
- Narrated by: Ken McLeod
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A Trackless Path renowned translator and teacher Ken McLeod offers a beautiful and evocative translation and commentary of one of the many poems that the 18th century Tibetan mystic Jigmé Lingpa wrote on the practice of Dzogchen, one of the great wisdom traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. McLeod makes this ancient poem relevant and accessible to today's seeker.
-
-
The transition
- By zohre bastani on 03-30-25
By: Ken McLeod
-
Then I Am Myself the World
- What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It
- By: Christof Koch
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Then I Am Myself the World, Christof Koch explores the only thing we directly experience: consciousness. At the book's heart is integrated-information theory, the idea that the essence of consciousness is the ability to exert causal power over itself, to be an agent of change. Koch investigates the physical origins of consciousness in the brain and how this knowledge can be used to measure consciousness in natural and artificial systems.
-
-
The Exciting Side of Science
- By Christi McAdams on 02-23-25
By: Christof Koch
-
Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell
- A Straightforward Summary of the 21st Century's only Plausible Metaphysics
- By: Bernardo Kastrup
- Narrated by: Christian Leatherman
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the failures of physicalism begin to shake the confidence of even the most biased of its supporters, a new view on the nature of reality is establishing itself as the only tenable alternative: Analytic Idealism. According to it, there is a world out there independent of our individual minds, but such world is—just like ourselves—also mental or experiential. While being a realist, naturalist, rationalist, and even reductionist view, Analytic Idealism flips our culture-bound intuitions on their head.
-
-
This was an unprecedented read
- By Corance Chandler on 05-31-25
By: Bernardo Kastrup
-
Conscious
- A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind
- By: Annaka Harris
- Narrated by: Annaka Harris
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This mind-expanding dive into the mystery of consciousness is an illuminating meditation on the self, free will, and felt experience.
-
-
Perhaps a better definition?
- By Eratosthenes on 06-19-19
By: Annaka Harris
-
The Path to Singularity
- How Technology Will Challenge the Future of Humanity
- By: J. Craig Wheeler, Neil deGrasse Tyson - foreword
- Narrated by: Graham Rowat
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Astrophysicist J. Craig Wheeler, former president of the American Astronomical Society, takes a critical look at the technological advances shaping our future. From artificial intelligence to genetic engineering, Wheeler explores how these innovations are interconnected and the potential they hold for humanity's evolution. With thought-provoking insights into the ethical dilemmas we face, Wheeler stresses the importance of staying informed and proactive.
-
-
great book
- By Heather on 01-27-25
By: J. Craig Wheeler, and others
-
The Heart Sutra
- By: Red Pine
- Narrated by: Brian Arens
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Heart Sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell. It has had the most profound and wide-reaching influence of any text in Buddhism. This short text covers more of the Buddha’s teachings than any other scripture, and it does so without being superficial or hurried. Although the original author is unknown, he was clearly someone with a deep realization of the Dharma. For this new English translation, Red Pine has utilized various Sanskrit and Chinese versions, refining the teachings of dozens of ancient teachers together with his own commentary to offer a profound word-for-word explication.
-
-
Appreciated scholarship
- By A dude playing a dude disguised as another dude on 11-16-24
By: Red Pine
-
A Trackless Path
- A Commentary on the Great Completion (Dzogchen) Teaching O Jigmé Lingpa's Revelations of Ever-Present Good
- By: Ken McLeod
- Narrated by: Ken McLeod
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A Trackless Path renowned translator and teacher Ken McLeod offers a beautiful and evocative translation and commentary of one of the many poems that the 18th century Tibetan mystic Jigmé Lingpa wrote on the practice of Dzogchen, one of the great wisdom traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. McLeod makes this ancient poem relevant and accessible to today's seeker.
-
-
The transition
- By zohre bastani on 03-30-25
By: Ken McLeod
-
Then I Am Myself the World
- What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It
- By: Christof Koch
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Then I Am Myself the World, Christof Koch explores the only thing we directly experience: consciousness. At the book's heart is integrated-information theory, the idea that the essence of consciousness is the ability to exert causal power over itself, to be an agent of change. Koch investigates the physical origins of consciousness in the brain and how this knowledge can be used to measure consciousness in natural and artificial systems.
-
-
The Exciting Side of Science
- By Christi McAdams on 02-23-25
By: Christof Koch
-
Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell
- A Straightforward Summary of the 21st Century's only Plausible Metaphysics
- By: Bernardo Kastrup
- Narrated by: Christian Leatherman
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the failures of physicalism begin to shake the confidence of even the most biased of its supporters, a new view on the nature of reality is establishing itself as the only tenable alternative: Analytic Idealism. According to it, there is a world out there independent of our individual minds, but such world is—just like ourselves—also mental or experiential. While being a realist, naturalist, rationalist, and even reductionist view, Analytic Idealism flips our culture-bound intuitions on their head.
-
-
This was an unprecedented read
- By Corance Chandler on 05-31-25
By: Bernardo Kastrup
-
Conscious
- A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind
- By: Annaka Harris
- Narrated by: Annaka Harris
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This mind-expanding dive into the mystery of consciousness is an illuminating meditation on the self, free will, and felt experience.
-
-
Perhaps a better definition?
- By Eratosthenes on 06-19-19
By: Annaka Harris
-
The Path to Singularity
- How Technology Will Challenge the Future of Humanity
- By: J. Craig Wheeler, Neil deGrasse Tyson - foreword
- Narrated by: Graham Rowat
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Astrophysicist J. Craig Wheeler, former president of the American Astronomical Society, takes a critical look at the technological advances shaping our future. From artificial intelligence to genetic engineering, Wheeler explores how these innovations are interconnected and the potential they hold for humanity's evolution. With thought-provoking insights into the ethical dilemmas we face, Wheeler stresses the importance of staying informed and proactive.
-
-
great book
- By Heather on 01-27-25
By: J. Craig Wheeler, and others
-
The Heart Sutra
- By: Red Pine
- Narrated by: Brian Arens
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Heart Sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell. It has had the most profound and wide-reaching influence of any text in Buddhism. This short text covers more of the Buddha’s teachings than any other scripture, and it does so without being superficial or hurried. Although the original author is unknown, he was clearly someone with a deep realization of the Dharma. For this new English translation, Red Pine has utilized various Sanskrit and Chinese versions, refining the teachings of dozens of ancient teachers together with his own commentary to offer a profound word-for-word explication.
-
-
Appreciated scholarship
- By A dude playing a dude disguised as another dude on 11-16-24
By: Red Pine
-
Lights On
- How Understanding Consciousness Helps Us Understand the Universe
- By: Annaka Harris
- Narrated by: Annaka Harris
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is consciousness a fundamental building block of the universe, like gravity? Can humans develop new senses through neuroscience? And can artificial intelligence ever truly replicate the subjective experience of being conscious? Join Annaka Harris as she calls on distinguished experts in science and philosophy to find answers to today’s most perplexing questions about our minds and the universe at large.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Amazon Customer on 04-01-25
By: Annaka Harris
-
The Immortal Mind
- A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul
- By: Michael Egnor, Denyse O'Leary
- Narrated by: Tim H. Dixon
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many scientists and doctors believe that there is no such thing as the soul. That there is no part of us that persists beyond death. We are not spiritual in any respect. We are made up of cells and tissue, and completely controlled by a material organ in our heads: the brain. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Michael Egnor makes the case—based on 40 years of practice and over 7,000 brain surgeries—that science has gotten it all wrong.
By: Michael Egnor, and others
-
The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions
- By: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conventional wisdom suggests there is a sharp distinction between emotion and reason. Emotions are seen as inferior, disruptive, primitive, and even bestial forces. These 24 remarkable lectures suggest otherwise-that emotions have intelligence and provide personal strategies that are vitally important to our everyday lives of perceiving, evaluating, appraising, understanding, and acting in the world.
-
-
Feel good and be good
- By Gary on 11-24-18
By: Robert C. Solomon, and others
-
Why? The Purpose of the Universe
- By: Philip Goff
- Narrated by: Philip Goff
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why are we here? What's the point of existence? On the "big questions" of meaning and purpose, Western thought has been dominated by the dichotomy of traditional religion and secular atheism. In this pioneering work, Philip Goff argues that it is time to move on from both God and atheism. Through an exploration of contemporary cosmology and cutting-edge philosophical research on consciousness, Goff argues for cosmic purpose: the idea that the universe is directed towards certain goals, such as the emergence of life.
-
-
Great beginning and middle. Disappointing conclusion.
- By rocky500 on 10-01-24
By: Philip Goff
-
The Demon in the Machine
- How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life
- By: Paul Davies
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is life? In this penetrating and wide-ranging book, world-renowned physicist and science communicator Paul Davies searches for answers in a field so new and fast-moving that it lacks a name; it is a domain where biology, computing, logic, chemistry, quantum physics, and nanotechnology intersect.
-
-
Thought Provoking
- By Amazon Customer on 08-26-24
By: Paul Davies
-
Waves in an Impossible Sea
- How Everyday Life Emerges from the Cosmic Ocean
- By: Matt Strassler
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Waves in an Impossible Sea, physicist Matt Strassler tells a startling tale of elementary particles, human experience, and empty space. He begins with a simple mystery of motion. When we drive at highway speeds with the windows down, the wind beats against our faces. Yet our planet hurtles through the cosmos at 150 miles per second, and we feel nothing of it. How can our voyage be so tranquil when, as Einstein discovered, matter warps space, and space deflects matter? The answer, Strassler reveals, is that empty space is a sea, albeit a paradoxically strange one.
-
-
No pdf
- By Mark on 01-14-25
By: Matt Strassler
-
Consciousness, 2nd Edition
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Susan Blackmore
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Naqvi
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing the debates on these issues, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. This controversial book clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, while also outlining the amazing pace of discoveries in neuroscience. Covering areas such as the construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, the neural correlates of consciousness, and the physiology of altered states of consciousness, Susan Blackmore highlights our latest findings.
-
-
Biased in its conclusions, judgemental of conflicting opinions while still having a lot of science in there
- By Robert B Hayes on 10-30-24
By: Susan Blackmore
-
All Things Are Full of Gods
- The Mysteries of Mind and Life
- By: David Bentley Hart
- Narrated by: Rachael Beresford
- Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a blossoming garden located far outside all worlds, a group of aging Greek gods have gathered to discuss the nature of existence, the mystery of mind, and whether there is a transcendent God from whom all things come. Turning to Eros, Psyche asks, "Do you see this flower, my love?"
-
-
It's all in the mind
- By Owen Kelly on 08-30-24
-
Reflections on Silver River
- Tokme Zongpo's Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva
- By: Ken McLeod
- Narrated by: Ken McLeod
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reflections on Silver River consists of a new translation of Tokme Zongpo's Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva and a verse-by verse commentary. Ken McLeod's plain and simple English beautifully reflects the simplicity and directness of the original Tibetan. McLeod's commentary is full of provocative questions and inspiring descriptions of what it means to be awake and present in your life. Practical instruction, brief and to the point, is found in each of the verse commentaries.
-
-
Wonderful book on Tibetan Buddhism
- By Big Sur Steve on 05-17-24
By: Ken McLeod
-
Living Everyday Zen
- By: Charlotte Joko Beck
- Narrated by: Charlotte Joko Beck
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the meditation cushion, where do you ultimately find the profound clarity, presence, and simple joy of Zen? "Where it has always been - in everyday life," teaches Charlotte Joko Beck, "whether it's raising our kids, working in the office, or even cleaning the house." On Living Everyday Zen, this seminal voice in American Zen shares some of her hallmark teachings and insights from nearly 50 years of practice.
-
-
Everyday Zen
- By The Masked Reviewer on 09-17-17
-
Awakening the Sacred Body
- Tibetan Yogas of Breath and Movement
- By: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
- Narrated by: Marcy Vaughn
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The power of the breath has been recognized for millennia as an integral part of health and well-being. In Awakening the Sacred Body, teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche makes accessible the ancient art of Tibetan breath and movement practices. In clear, easy-to-understand language, he outlines the theory and processes of two powerful meditations - the Nine Breathings of Purification and the Tsa Lung movements - that can help you change your relationship to yourself, to others, and to the world.
-
-
Deeply healing
- By Michael S. on 06-05-25
-
Original Love
- The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening
- By: Henry Shukman
- Narrated by: Henry Shukman
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An increasing number of people today feel disconnected, disengaged, and lonely. Many of us are seeking solace, beginning with ourselves. Original Love is the secular spiritual handbook we need to ease our troubles and find the highest possible happiness. Henry Shukman, spiritual director of Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, provides a way forward based on four paths—Mindfulness, Support, Absorption, and Awakening—that promote growth and healing through meditation for practitioners of any level.
-
-
An important book in this day and age, or other ages for that matter
- By Per Kjellsen on 07-16-24
By: Henry Shukman
What truly sets this book apart is the heart behind its message. Each chapter left me with a new insight or a sense of “Yes, that’s exactly how I feel!”. The author doesn’t just share information; he invites you to see the world and yourself in a more connected, meaningful way. By the time I reached the final chapter, I felt a lump in my throat. The ending paragraph, in particular, made me tear up with recognition and gratitude—it was as if James Cooke put into words a truth my soul has always known. I rarely cry at books, but here I was, wiping away tears, feeling both humbled and uplifted. This book not only expanded my mind but also touched my spirit. I finished it with a profound sense of hope and connection to all living things.
As an audiobook, The Dawn of Mind is an exceptional experience. The narration was very well done and added so much to the journey. Stephen Bel Davies’s performance is warm, clear, and engaging. He truly brings the material to life. His thoughtful pacing and gentle emphasis made complex concepts easier to absorb and emotional moments even more poignant. It felt like listening to a wise friend share a life-changing story. I highly recommend The Dawn of Mind to anyone curious about consciousness or simply looking for a book that will touch your heart and expand your perspective. This is easily one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever heard, and I’m grateful to have experienced it.
Profoundly Moving and Enlightening
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Insightful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.