Overview

The unconscious has had a long and chequered history. For at least the last 4,000 years, societies have concocted comforting fables in the face of the recurrent puzzles of human existence - death, dreaming, madness, possession, inspiration - that invariably rely on some notion of the unconscious. Supernatural 'fairy stories' need some internal proxy or contact point through which the influence of demons and spirits can flow. And without such gods and forces, some psychological machinery is needed to take over their work. But what IS the unconscious Is it 'God's viceroy', the soul Is it the locked ward of Freudian desire Is the subliminal mind the source of the sublime emotions of the Romantics Is is the mental microchip of cognitive science Or is it simply the brain

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Reviews

* 'Claxton's quest for the origins of the unconscious mind combines page-turning narrative with cutting-edge neuroscience. His ideas about how and why the brain creates our oddest experiences are both imaginative and credible. The book makes an important contribution to our understanding of what it is to be human' Rita Carter, author of MAPPING THE MIND and CONSCIOUSNESS *'Claxton's book stands out from the crowd. It is a work of terrific breadth ... And Claxton is a versatile and erudite exegete, as fluent at explaining Egyptian mythopaeia as neuroscientific theories of the ego' Robert Macfarlane, SPECTATOR *'Claxton provides a birds-eye view of the human unconscious, drawing from an impressive array of sources ... A captivating account of the ways in which the unconscious has entranced and intrigued thinkers throughout the centuries'SUNDAY BUSINESS POST *'With wit, weird tales and wonderful metaphors, Claxton illuminates the long dark history of the undermind' Susan Blackmore, author of CONSCIOUSNESS: AN INTRODUCTION and THE MEME MACHINE *'It is hard not to feel enticed by a book with such engaging opening words' Steven Rose, GUARDIAN

With wit, weird tales and wonderful metaphors, Claxton illuminates the long dark history of the undermind Susan Blackmore, author of 'CONSCIOUSNESS: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MEME MACHINE It is hard not to feel enticed by a book with such engaging opening words Steven Rose, GUARDIAN For anyone who ever wondered why people can be terrified of harmless things, why tunes get stuck in their head or what happens during hypnosis, this vigorously written, fascinating yet accessible book is a must. IRISH EXAMINER Intriguing. FOCUS

With wit, weird tales and wonderful metaphors, Claxton illuminates the long dark history of the undermind - Susan Blackmore, author of 'CONSCIOUSNESS: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MEME MACHINE It is hard not to feel enticed by a book with such engaging opening words - Steven Rose, GUARDIAN For anyone who ever wondered why people can be terrified of harmless things, why tunes get stuck in their head or what happens during hypnosis, this vigorously written, fascinating yet accessible book is a must. - IRISH EXAMINER Intriguing. - FOCUS

Author Information

Guy Claxton is an internationally renowned writer, consultant, lecturer and academic specialising in creativity, education and the mind. He has a double first in Natural Science from Cambridge, a doctorate in psychology from Oxford and has held the post of Visiting Professor in Learning Science at the University of Bristol since 1993.

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