Is there a theory that explains the essence of consciousness? Or is consciousness itself just an illusion? The 'last great mystery of science', consciousness is a topic that was banned from serious research for most of the last century, but is now an area of increasing popular interest, as well as a rapidly expanding area of study for students of psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. This ground-breaking textbook by best-selling author Susan Blackmore was the first of its kind to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies, from those based on neuroscience to those based on quantum theory or Eastern philosophy.

The book examines topics such as how subjective experiences arise from objective brain processes, the basic neuroscience of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, out of body and near death experiences and the effects of drugs, dreams and meditation. It also explores the nature of self, the possibility of artificial consciousness in robots, and the question of whether animals are conscious.

The new edition has been fully revised to include the latest developments in neuroscience, brain scanning techniques, and artificial consciousness and robotics. The new website includes self-assessment exercises, advanced further reading, flashcards and MCQs.

For all those intrigued by what it means to be, to exist, this book could radically transform your understanding of your own consciousness.

Reviews

"The style of the book lays down a challenge to the reader: to enter perplexity. Any reader carrying out the activities and practices is likely to engage personally with the subject matter in ways that other texts cannot reach." - Guy Saunders, University of the West of England, The Scientific and Medical Network, No. 83, Winter 03

"One day, all consciousness textbooks will be made this way. Susan Blackmore's Consciousness: An Introduction is an invaluable addition to the area of consciousness research. It is balanced,ly and yet student-friendly: no undergraduate course on consciousness should be without it." - Greg Davis, Times Higher Education Supplement

Contents

Introduction Section One: The problem 1. What’s the problem ? 2. What is it like to be…? 3. Conscious or unconscious ? Section Two: The world 4. The theatre of the mind 5. Attention and timing 6. The grand illusion Section Three: The self 7. Egos, bundles and multiple selves 8. Theories of self 9. Agency and free will Section Four: The brain 10. The neural correlates of consciousness 11. The unity of consciousness 12. Damaged brains Section Five: Evolution 13. The evolution of consciousness 14. The function of consciousness 15. Animal minds Section Six: Artificial consciousness 16. Minds and machines 17. Could a machine be conscious? 18. How to build a conscious machine Section Seven: Borderlands 19. Unconscious processing...