Inside the mind of a newborn baby | Claudia Passos Ferreira

This podcast episode features philosopher, bioethicist, and clinical psychologist Claudia Passos Ferreira, who challenges traditional views on infant consciousness. She presents research indicating that newborns and even late-term fetuses exhibit brain activity consistent with conscious perception and expectation, such as responding to unexpected sound sequences and alternating attention patterns. This evidence suggests that consciousness may begin before birth, raising ethical implications for medical procedures on infants and fetuses, particularly regarding the use of anesthesia. The speaker emphasizes that this new understanding reframes babies not as passive observers but as active, perceiving individuals from a very early age, highlighting the continuous unfolding of consciousness throughout human life.