
The Consciousness Instinct
Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind
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Narrated by:
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David Colacci
About this listen
“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.
©2018 Michael S. Gazzaniga (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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worth the read for discussion of consciousness
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In this context his attempt to provide a hypothesis on consciousness can be described as the closest science can come to explaining the Hard Problem of Consciousness.
The book takes us through a history of philosophy and science relating to the mind and the brain the dualism of Descartes, the reductionism schools and modern science, the quantum world of complementarity, and finally the authors proposal as to what the mind is and how it relates to the brain.
The author brings a new perspective to consciousness, one that accepts the possibility of a subjective system that cannot be reduced producing qualia analogous to other instincts. He proposes consciousness as an instinct evolving out of necessity to improve our survivability in complex situations. A continuum which he suggests is very likely present in different ways and degrees in all living things.
This book is highly recommended and a must read for anyone interested in the subject.
Consciousness through the lens of Neuroscience
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An amicable introduction to modern neuroscience
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He does, however, make a good case for a reasonable architecture of the mammalian Brain as a modular structure of functions that communicate with each other in a complex network of layers. He follows closely William James’ theory that this communication network constitute an instinct that we call consciousness.
While his research doesn’t lead him to claim that he totally understands all the how’s and why’s of the logistics of its operation, he does put it forth as a framework to be used by neuroengineers, biologists and others to work together to further this endeavor.
This book may not be the latest work to try to define consciousness but Gazzaniga’s theory is definitely well stated and documented and this book is accessible and enjoyable to the lay reader. Four Stars. ****
Well-done dissection of his Theory of Consciousness
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Linda s incredible book has the exact attacks.
5 Starred for the year published. Linda F Barrett
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One Of The Truly Great...
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I heard him giving the Gifford Lectures
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