Conversations on Consciousness: What the Best Minds Think about the Brain, Free Will, and What It Means to Be Human
Jan 2006 · Oxford University Press
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About this ebook
In Conversations on Consciousness, Susan Blackmore interviews some of the great minds of our time, a who's who of eminent thinkers, all of whom have devoted much of their lives to understanding the concept of consciousness. The interviewees, ranging from major philosophers to renowned scientists, talk candidly with Blackmore about some of the key philosophical issues confronting us in a series of conversations that are revealing, insightful, and stimulating. They ruminate on the nature of consciousness (is it something apart from the brain?) and discuss if it is even possible to understand the human mind. Some of these thinkers say no, but most believe that we will pierce the mystery surrounding consciousness, and that neuroscience will provide the key. Blackmore goes beyond the issue of consciousness to ask other intriguing questions: Is there free will? (A question which yields many conflicted replies, with most saying yes and no.) If not, how does this effect the way you live your life; and more broadly, how has your work changed the way you live? Paired with an introduction and extensive glossary that provide helpful background information, these provocative conversations illuminate how some of the greatest minds tackle some of the most difficult questions about human nature.
In Conversations on Consciousness, Susan Blackmore interviews some of the great minds of our time, a who's who of eminent thinkers, all of whom have devoted much of their lives to understanding the concept of consciousness. The interviewees, ranging from major philosophers to renowned scientists,...
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5 reviews
Mark Garrett
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February 4, 2023
A very interesting and thought provoking exploration on consciousness, written in a way whereby the interview process flows like a conversation, allowing the ideas being expressed by these pioneering thinkers to come through. Susan is an astute interviewer and consummate listener which shows up admirably in her probing questions as we all try to gather a tiny bit of understanding about this possibly ineffable subject we call consciousness.
A Google user
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November 6, 2009
This book sparked an intense curiosity in me of Neuroscience and Cognitive Psychology. It was an incredibly interesting read, and I hope that she does more like this.
About the author
Susan Blackmore is a freelance writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Her research interests include memes and the theory of memetics, evolutionary theory, consciousness, and meditation. She is author of The Meme Machine, as well as over seventy academic articles.
Susan Blackmore is a freelance writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Her research interests include memes and the theory of memetics, evolutionary theory, consciousness, and meditation. She is author of The Meme Machine, as we...
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