Overview

A fascinating exploration of the nature of consciousness This engaging and readable book provides an introduction to consciousness that does justice both to the science and to the philosophy of consciousness, that is, the mechanics of the mind and the experience of awareness. The book opens with a general discussion of the brain and of consciousness itself. Then, exploring the areas of brain science most likely to illuminate the basis of awareness, Zeman focuses on the science of sleep and waking and on the science of vision. He describes healthy states and disorders—epilepsy, narcolepsy, blindsight and hallucinations after stroke—that provide insights into the capacity for consciousness and into its contents. And he tracks the evolution of the brain, the human species, and human culture and surveys the main current scientific theories of awareness, pioneering attempts to explain how the brain gives rise to experience. Zeman concludes by examining philosophical arguments about the nature of consciousness. A practicing neurologist, he animates his text with examples from the behavioral and neurological disorders of his patients and from the expanding mental worlds of young children, including his own. His book is an accessible and enlightening explanation of why we are conscious.

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9780300104974

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Reviews

Zeman is a humane and engaging writer and this is a wonderfully ambitious and entertaining book. I can think of no better guide to 'the last great frontier of science.' -Paul Broks, Prospect [This] book is more than an argument about computers and consciousness. There are ... potentially mind-numbing discussions of the pathways that give rise to the senses and to cognition, accompanied by diagrams of the same... Zeman manages to make all of this stuff ... interesting. -Ivan Oransky, New York Sun

If you were intrigued with The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, you'll appreciate [the book's] buildup to what Oliver Sacks described in that work... Approachable and instructive. - William H. Calvin, New York Times Book Review; interesting and well-written... Zeman's excellent new book communicates the excitement and vibrancy of an emerging field of study. - Geraint Rees, The Lancet

Author Information

Adam Zeman is Professor of cognitive and behavioural neurology, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter

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