The Mystery of Consciousness PDF Download
Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download The Mystery of Consciousness PDF full book. Access full book title The Mystery of Consciousness by John R. Searle. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: John R. Searle
Publisher: New York Review of Books
ISBN: 9780940322066
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244
Get Book Here
Book Description
It has long been one of the most fundamental problems of philosophy, and it is now, John Searle writes, "the most important problem in the biological sciences": What is consciousness? Is my inner awareness of myself something separate from my body? In what began as a series of essays in The New York Review of Books, John Searle evaluates the positions on consciousness of such well-known scientists and philosophers as Francis Crick, Gerald Edelman, Roger Penrose, Daniel Dennett, David Chalmers, and Israel Rosenfield. He challenges claims that the mind works like a computer, and that brain functions can be reproduced by computer programs. With a sharp eye for confusion and contradiction, he points out which avenues of current research are most likely to come up with a biological examination of how conscious states are caused by the brain. Only when we understand how the brain works will we solve the mystery of consciousness, and only then will we begin to understand issues ranging from artificial intelligence to our very nature as human beings.
Author: John R. Searle
Publisher: New York Review of Books
ISBN: 9780940322066
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244
Get Book Here
Book Description
It has long been one of the most fundamental problems of philosophy, and it is now, John Searle writes, "the most important problem in the biological sciences": What is consciousness? Is my inner awareness of myself something separate from my body? In what began as a series of essays in The New York Review of Books, John Searle evaluates the positions on consciousness of such well-known scientists and philosophers as Francis Crick, Gerald Edelman, Roger Penrose, Daniel Dennett, David Chalmers, and Israel Rosenfield. He challenges claims that the mind works like a computer, and that brain functions can be reproduced by computer programs. With a sharp eye for confusion and contradiction, he points out which avenues of current research are most likely to come up with a biological examination of how conscious states are caused by the brain. Only when we understand how the brain works will we solve the mystery of consciousness, and only then will we begin to understand issues ranging from artificial intelligence to our very nature as human beings.
Author: Annaka Harris
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062906739
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 115
Get Book Here
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "If you’ve ever wondered how you have the capacity to wonder, some fascinating insights await you in these pages.” --Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals As concise and enlightening as Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, this mind-expanding dive into the mystery of consciousness is an illuminating meditation on the self, free will, and felt experience. What is consciousness? How does it arise? And why does it exist? We take our experience of being in the world for granted. But the very existence of consciousness raises profound questions: Why would any collection of matter in the universe be conscious? How are we able to think about this? And why should we? In this wonderfully accessible book, Annaka Harris guides us through the evolving definitions, philosophies, and scientific findings that probe our limited understanding of consciousness. Where does it reside, and what gives rise to it? Could it be an illusion, or a universal property of all matter? As we try to understand consciousness, we must grapple with how to define it and, in the age of artificial intelligence, who or what might possess it. Conscious offers lively and challenging arguments that alter our ideas about consciousness—allowing us to think freely about it for ourselves, if indeed we can.
Author: David D. Weisher
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1462839967
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 131
Get Book Here
Book Description
Man is by nature a philosophical being. Wars are fought over philosophical differences of social-economics, religion, geopolitics and racial arrogance. Arguably, the greatest philosophical quest of mankind has been the overwhelming desire to know Self; to understand the nature of being. Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Are we just a roll of the dice in the universe or is there orchestration in our existence? Socrates, Plato, Phathagoras, Nietzsche all had philosophies of human consciousness and the nature of being. This book brings a message from the beyond to help answere these questions. I think, therefore I am does not answer the question. What is the I am? Are you the sum aggregate of an epiphenomenon of random firing neurons that simply no longer exist after the complex system dies or are you a spirit that temporarily resides in this brain machine that is liberated upon the death of this complex neurological system? These two philosophies are not only basic, they are opposite and opposing. Both can not be true. Either Life is a kaos between two nothings or it is a complex and dynamic co-existence between the physical and spiritual worlds. This book examines this question like no other because of the unique background of the author. Not only is he a Neurologist, giving him a position of some authority on this subject, but he is also an engineer, which contribute a degree of logic to the equation. His past profession as a mixed gas deep sea diver gives a bold practical presentation to the subject of near death experience. At one time during the authors youth, he was firmly convinced that human consciousness was machine in nature only and ceased to exist with death of the brain-machine. He no longer holds this view because of his personal experiences as a neruologist and has thus been willing to be open minded. This book is the result of (and an explanation for) this change of view. It present the argument for Dualism (Co-existence of spirit and brain) in personal, scientific and intellectual terms. This book challenges the reader; to open his or her eyes, think outside the narrow western religious box, and perhaps move a little closer to God. Chapter one tells the authors personal story and how his experience of simply listening to patients helped him think outside the box. Chapter two presents the argument for dualistic philosophy on purely scientific and neurological terms. Chapter three reviews selected cases in current literature and examines them from a neurological perspective. Chapter four reviews selected cases in current literature supporting reincarnation. Chapter five helps integrate this knowledge with western Judeo-Christian philosophy and helps us understand the origins of the western view. The Book is meant to be small so that it will be read. As an engineer, the author is inclined to straight talk as opposed to bull verbiage. I think you will find this little yellow book fascinating, provocative and thought provoking.
Author: Wilder Penfield
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691273685
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 127
Get Book Here
Book Description
A classic account of the relationship between the human brain and the human mind Can the mind be explained by what we know about the brain? Is a person’s being determined by their body alone or by their mind and body as separate elements? In this incisive and engaging book, Wilder Penfield, whose work pioneered such research, shares insights into these and other questions, providing an in-depth look at the function of the brain and its relationship to the action of the mind. With a foreword by Charles W. Hendel, an introduction by William Feindel, and reflections by Sir Charles Symonds, The Mystery of the Mind is Penfield’s compelling personal account of his experiences as a neurosurgeon and scientist observing the inner workings of the brain in conscious patients.
Author: David Cohen
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 9780811814317
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 204
Get Book Here
Book Description
What's the significance of a Freudian slip? Is there a difference between men's and women's brain chemestry? Does hypnosis really work? The Secret Language of the Mind explores in fascinating detail the intriguing and ongoing mysteries about why and who we are. Over 200 full-color and b&w illustrations.
Author: Michael S. Gazzaniga
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 0374128766
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Get Book Here
Book Description
“The father of cognitive neuroscience” illuminates the past, present, and future of the mind-brain problem How do neurons turn into minds? How does physical “stuff”—atoms, molecules, chemicals, and cells—create the vivid and various worlds inside our heads? The problem of consciousness has gnawed at us for millennia. In the last century there have been massive breakthroughs that have rewritten the science of the brain, and yet the puzzles faced by the ancient Greeks are still present. In The Consciousness Instinct, the neuroscience pioneer Michael S. Gazzaniga puts the latest research in conversation with the history of human thinking about the mind, giving a big-picture view of what science has revealed about consciousness. The idea of the brain as a machine, first proposed centuries ago, has led to assumptions about the relationship between mind and brain that dog scientists and philosophers to this day. Gazzaniga asserts that this model has it backward—brains make machines, but they cannot be reduced to one. New research suggests the brain is actually a confederation of independent modules working together. Understanding how consciousness could emanate from such an organization will help define the future of brain science and artificial intelligence, and close the gap between brain and mind. Captivating and accessible, with insights drawn from a lifetime at the forefront of the field, The Consciousness Instinct sets the course for the neuroscience of tomorrow.
Author: Thomas R. Verny
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1643138006
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 218
Get Book Here
Book Description
As groundbreaking synthesis that promises to shift our understanding of the mind-brain connection and its relationship with our bodies. We understand the workings of the human body as a series of interdependent physiological relationships: muscle interacts with bone as the heart responds to hormones secreted by the brain, all the way down to the inner workings of every cell. To make an organism function, no one component can work alone. In light of this, why is it that the accepted understanding that the physical phenomenon of the mind is attributed only to the brain? In The Embodied Mind, internationally renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas R. Verny sets out to redefine our concept of the mind and consciousness. He brilliantly compiles new research that points to the mind’s ties to every part of the body. The Embodied Mind collects disparate findings in physiology, genetics, and quantum physics in order to illustrate the mounting evidence that somatic cells, not just neural cells, store memory, inform genetic coding, and adapt to environmental changes—all behaviors that contribute to the mind and consciousness. Cellular memory, Verny shows, is not just an abstraction, but a well-documented scientific fact that will shift our understanding of memory. Verny describes single-celled organisms with no brains demonstrating memory, and points to the remarkable case of a French man who, despite having a brain just a fraction of the typical size, leads a normal life with a family and a job. The Embodied Mind shows how intelligence and consciousness—traits traditionally attributed to the brain alone—also permate our entire being. Bodily cells and tissues use the same molecular mechanisms for memory as our brain, making our mind more fluid and adaptable than we could have ever imaged.
Author: Antonio Zadra
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324002840
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Get Book Here
Book Description
"A truly comprehensive, scientifically rigorous and utterly fascinating account of when, how, and why we dream. Put simply, When Brains Dream is the essential guide to dreaming." —Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep Questions on the origins and meaning of dreams are as old as humankind, and as confounding and exciting today as when nineteenth-century scientists first attempted to unravel them. Why do we dream? Do dreams hold psychological meaning or are they merely the reflection of random brain activity? What purpose do dreams serve? When Brains Dream addresses these core questions about dreams while illuminating the most up-to-date science in the field. Written by two world-renowned sleep and dream researchers, it debunks common myths that we only dream in REM sleep, for example—while acknowledging the mysteries that persist around both the science and experience of dreaming. Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold bring together state-of-the-art neuroscientific ideas and findings to propose a new and innovative model of dream function called NEXTUP—Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. By detailing this model’s workings, they help readers understand key features of several types of dreams, from prophetic dreams to nightmares and lucid dreams. When Brains Dream reveals recent discoveries about the sleeping brain and the many ways in which dreams are psychologically, and neurologically, meaningful experiences; explores a host of dream-related disorders; and explains how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight. Making an eloquent and engaging case for why the human brain needs to dream, When Brains Dream offers compelling answers to age-old questions about the mysteries of sleep.
Author: Mark Solms
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393542025
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 376
Get Book Here
Book Description
A revelatory new theory of consciousness that returns emotions to the center of mental life. For Mark Solms, one of the boldest thinkers in contemporary neuroscience, discovering how consciousness comes about has been a lifetime’s quest. Scientists consider it the "hard problem" because it seems an impossible task to understand why we feel a subjective sense of self and how it arises in the brain. Venturing into the elementary physics of life, Solms has now arrived at an astonishing answer. In The Hidden Spring, he brings forward his discovery in accessible language and graspable analogies. Solms is a frank and fearless guide on an extraordinary voyage from the dawn of neuropsychology and psychoanalysis to the cutting edge of contemporary neuroscience, adhering to the medically provable. But he goes beyond other neuroscientists by paying close attention to the subjective experiences of hundreds of neurological patients, many of whom he treated, whose uncanny conversations expose much about the brain’s obscure reaches. Most importantly, you will be able to recognize the workings of your own mind for what they really are, including every stray thought, pulse of emotion, and shift of attention. The Hidden Spring will profoundly alter your understanding of your own subjective experience.
Author: Daniel C. Dennett
Publisher: Hachette+ORM
ISBN: 0316439487
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 707
Get Book Here
Book Description
Daniel Dennett's "brilliant" exploration of human consciousness — named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times — is a masterpiece beloved by both scientific experts and general readers (New York Times Book Review). Consciousness Explained is a full-scale exploration of human consciousness. In this landmark book, Daniel Dennett refutes the traditional, commonsense theory of consciousness and presents a new model, based on a wealth of information from the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence. Our current theories about conscious life — of people, animal, even robots — are transformed by the new perspectives found in this book. "Dennett is a witty and gifted scientific raconteur, and the book is full of fascinating information about humans, animals, and machines. The result is highly digestible and a useful tour of the field." —Wall Street Journal
