What is consciousness? How do physical processes in the brain give rise
to the self-aware mind and to feelings as profoundly varied as love or
hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual yearning? These questions today
are among the most hotly debated issues among scientists and
philosophers, and we have seen in recent years superb volumes by such
eminent figures as Francis Crick, Daniel C. Dennett, Gerald Edelman, and
Roger Penrose, all firing volleys in what has come to be called the
consciousness wars. Now, in The Conscious Mind, philosopher David J.
Chalmers offers a cogent analysis of this heated debate as he unveils a
major new theory of consciousness, one that rejects the prevailing
reductionist trend of science, while offering provocative insights into
the relationship between mind and brain.
Writing in a rigorous, thought-provoking style, the author takes us on a
far-reaching tour through the philosophical ramifications of
consciousness. Chalmers convincingly reveals how contemporary cognitive
science and neurobiology have failed to explain how and why mental
events emerge from physiological occurrences in the brain. He proposes
instead that conscious experience must be understood in an entirely new
light--as an irreducible entity (similar to such physical properties as
time, mass, and space) that exists at a fundamental level and cannot be
understood as the sum of its parts. And after suggesting some intriguing
possibilities about the structure and laws of conscious experience, he
details how his unique reinterpretation of the mind could be the focus
of a new science. Throughout the book, Chalmers provides fascinating
thought experiments that trenchantly illustrate his ideas. For example,
in exploring the notion that consciousness could be experienced by
machines as
well as humans, Chalmers asks us to imagine a thinking brain in which
neurons are slowly replaced by silicon chips that precisely duplicate
their functions--as the neurons are replaced, will consciousness
gradually fade away? The book also features thoughtful discussions of
how the author's theories might be practically applied to subjects as
diverse as artificial intelligence and the interpretation of quantum
mechanics.
All of us have pondered the nature and meaning of consciousness.
Engaging and penetrating, The Conscious Mind adds a fresh new
perspective to the subject that is sure to spark debate about our
understanding of the mind for years to come.
