Conversations on consciousness : what the best minds think about the brain, free will, and what it means to be human
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 with Blackmore about some of the key philosophical issues confronting us in a series of conversations. 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? --From publisher's description
Interview
vi, 274 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
9780195179583, 9780195179590, 0195179587, 0195179595
62555307
Bernard Baars
Ned Block
David Chalmers
Patricia and Paul Churchland
Francis Crick
Daniel Dennett
Susan Greenfield
Richard Gregory
Stuart Hameroff
Christof Koch
Stephen LaBerge
Thomas Metzinger
Kevin O'Regan
Roger Penrose
Vilayanur Ramachandran
John Searle
Petra Stoerig
Francisco Varela
Max Velmans
Daniel Wegner
Interviews
Includes index