This groundbreaking book is the first and only volume to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies - coming out of psychology, neuroscience, quantum theory, artificial intelligence, and Asian philosophy. Broadly interdisciplinary... Read more

This groundbreaking book is the first and only volume to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies - coming out of psychology, neuroscience, quantum theory, artificial intelligence, and Asian philosophy. Broadly interdisciplinary, Consciousness: An Introduction, SecondEdition, is divided into nine sections that examine such topics as how subjective experiences arise from objective brain processes, the basic neuroscience and neuropathology of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, mystical experiences and dreams, and the effects of drugs and meditation.It also discusses the nature of self, the possibility of artificial consciousness in robots, and the question of whether or not animals are conscious.The book includes various pedagogical features throughout, including philosopher profiles, featuring significant figures in the study of consciousness; Practice and Activity text boxes that encourage everyday activities to consider and demonstrate certain aspects of consciousness; Concept text boxesthat provide extra insight into various, interesting subtopics within each chapter; and further reading suggestions.For the Second Edition, the author has added new material on the topics of out-of-body experiences (Chapter 24), meditation (Chapter 26), machine consciousness (Section 6), reflecting new research and updated theories in recent years. The art program, which features over 230 photos, tables andillustrations, has been revised with various new photos and drawings. The author has created a Companion Website that includes links to online papers and books wherever possible, links to new and emerging research, self-assessment exercises for students and instructors, and more information aboutthe practices and exercises described in the book.The book is ideal for any course covering consciousness - in philosophy, psychology, computer science, and other departments. It is especially useful for a philosophy of mind course that spends significant time on consciousness.Message: The only textbook to bring together all the major theories on Consciousness - from philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and Asian philosophy. Less