Consciousness

We have never been more conscious of consciousness as media scientists are now endlessly interviewed about this enigmatic and intriguing subject. Indeed most current books and broadcasts on consciousness are most liable to achieve only one thing - a gradual loss of consciousness in the audience as their brains solve the problem of boredom. This book however is very different in its clarity, simplicity yet without in any way evading the kernel of this deep issue. Perhaps the secret of the authors' success lies in their unique approach, which is to devote the first part of the book to explaining exactly why conscousness is a philosophical problem. Also the book introduces the puzzle by lucidly examining what the brain is not, before explaining what it must be in order to produce consciousness. So, for example, one chapter demonstrates why the brain is definitely not like a computer and shows how other parts of the body process sophisticated information, like our immune system, but are still not conscious. The authors court our awe with cases like those who suffer from hemineglect, where following a stroke a patient might only be conscious of the left side of things. For example one man with this syndrome would only dress his right side, shave the right side of his face and draw only the right side of things. As the book points out the really fascinating issue is how the mind closes around this 'hole' in consciousness to make the world appear integrated again so the sufferer is never aware of what they are missing. It would appear that for the brain the feeling of an absence is far less tolerable than the absence of a feeling. Why this should be holds the key to the solution to the problem of consciousness, but you will have to read the book to unlock the mystery. Review by RAJ PERSAUD Editor's note: Dr Raj Persaud is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in London and Author of Staying Sane: How to make your Mind work for you. (Kirkus UK)