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English
Massachusetts Inst of Tec
25 September 2018
Demystifying consciousness- how subjective experience can be explained by natural brain and evolutionary processes.

Consciousness is often considered a mystery. How can the seemingly immaterial experience of consciousness be explained by the material neurons of the brain? There seems to be an unbridgeable gap between understanding the brain as an objectively observed biological organ and accounting for the subjective experiences that come from the brain (and life processes). In this book, Todd Feinberg and Jon Mallatt attempt to demystify consciousness-to naturalize it, by explaining that the subjective, experiencing aspects of consciousness are created by natural brain processes that evolved in natural ways. Although subjective experience is unique in nature, they argue, it is not necessarily mysterious. We need not invoke the unknown or unknowable to explain its creation.

Feinberg and Mallatt flesh out their theory of neurobiological naturalism (after John Searle's biological naturalism) that recognizes the many features that brains share with other living things, lists the neural features unique to conscious brains, and explains the subjective-objective barrier naturally. They investigate common neural features among the diverse groups of animals that have primary consciousness-the type of consciousness that experiences both sensations received from the world and affects such as emotions. They map the evolutionary development of consciousness and find an uninterrupted progression over time, without inserting any mysterious forces or exotic physics. Finally, bridging the previously unbridgeable, they show how subjective experience, although different from objective observation, can be naturally explained.

By:   , ,
Imprint:   Massachusetts Inst of Tec
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 203mm,  Width: 137mm,  Spine: 19mm
ISBN:   9780262038812
ISBN 10:   0262038811
Series:   Consciousness Demystified
Pages:   208
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  A / AS level ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Reviews for Consciousness Demystified

"""Compared to The Ancient Origins of Consciousness, Consciousness Demystified is more condensed, less technical and accessible to a wider range of readers interested in understanding consciousness. This agile book, with its armamentarium of useful tools (Glossary, Notes, References, Index), undoubtedly contributes to the enduring appeal of the neuroscientific study of consciousness."" —British Journal of Psychiatry ""Serious scholars are likely to find their appetite whetted​.... a worthwhile read""—The Psychologist"


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