Consciousness: An Introduction
| Date: 27 April 2011, 10:46
|
If you’ve ever driven along a highway and suddenly realized that you have no memory of how you just got to a certain point, then you have some idea of what it’s like to be "in" and "out" of consciousness. Understanding the difference is the crux of Consciousness: An Introduction, which examines the scientific nature of subjective experience. Susan Blackmore, a former lecturer in psychology at the University of the West of England in Bristol, casts a wide net in exploring what she calls "the last great mystery of science." She painstakingly documents the evolution of consciousness studies, from the pioneering work of William James to the controversial, contemporary work of Daniel C. Dennett of Tufts University, who maintains that consciousness is a complex of "memes"—verbal and written information that is transferred from person to person. Then she marches through a host of other topics, including how subjective experiences arise from objective brain processes; altered states; and mystical experiences and dreams. To offset this weightiness, Blackmore periodically invites the reader to participate in interesting practice exercises with titles such as "Was this decision conscious?" and activities such as "Blind for an hour" that sharpen selfawareness. "Some of you will enjoy the self-examination and find the science and philosophy hard," she writes of her approach. "Others will lap up the science and find the personal inquiry troubling or trivial. I can only say this: both are needed." Blackmore also strikes a balance in showing how Western and Eastern philosophies view consciousness. Parts of this discussion may seem too difficult to grasp, but she is not after black-and-white conclusions; she is bold enough to leave some questions unanswered. Blackmore’s best chapters come in the latter part of the book. Her analyses of the effects of brain damage on consciousness are fascinating in their human detail. She does get sidetracked by devoting three short chapters to the possibility of consciousness in robots, even though a machine’s total lack of subjectivity would appear to make a prolonged analysis beside the point. But she redeems herself with an amusing anecdote that underscores how even the best intentioned scholars can get carried away by their own theories. When computer scientist John McCarthy of Stanford University claimed that his thermostat had a belief system, philosopher John Searle of the University of California at Berkeley immediately asked, "John, what beliefs does your thermostat have?" McCarthy’s reply was both clever and courageous: "My thermostat has three beliefs. My thermostat believes that it’s too hot in here, it’s too cold in here and it’s just right in here."
Robert Rorke
Review
One day, all consciousness textbooks will be made this way. Susan Blackmore's Consciousness is an invaluable addition to the area of consciousness research. It is balanced, scholarly and yet student-friendly: no undergraduate course on consciousness should be without it. This book will prove to be the benchmark by which future consciousness-course texts are judged. Blackmore's title concentrates on the theory and practice of consciousness by asking you to do some thinking for yourself...she invites you as the reader to join in the speculations by taking part in various illustrative activities. These provide far more insight than words and references ever could on their own. This book can be read by anyone at any level of interest, from the most casual browser to the full-time psychology professional. -- Focus 20030901 Blackmore provides a very student-friendly way in to the often complex debates about consciousness -- Mr A Stone, South Bank University 20030601 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
|
DISCLAIMER:
This site does not store Consciousness: An Introduction on its server. We only index and link to Consciousness: An Introduction provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete Consciousness: An Introduction if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Comments (0)
All
