* Profiles of important philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, and biologists involved in consciousness studies It also discusses the nature of self, the possibility of artificial consciousness in robots, and the question of whether or not animals are conscious. Broadly interdisciplinary, Consciousness: An Introduction, Second Edition, 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. The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics.Now in a new edition, this innovative text is the first volume to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies-from those rooted in traditional Western philosophy to those coming out of neuroscience, quantum theory, and Eastern philosophy. Visit IAI.tv for our full library of debates, talks, articles and podcasts from international thought leaders and world-class academics. Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories, where the 'Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered. His philosophical work has spearheaded metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially menta. Her fields of research include memetics, parapsychology, and consciousness.īernardo Kastrup is a philosopher and computer scientist. Susan Jane Blackmore is a writer, lecturer, sceptic, broadcaster, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. He specialises in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, philosophy of psychology and metaphysics. Tim Crane is Head of the Philosophy Department at Central European University. Should we conclude that consciousness cannot be explained in terms of the physical? But if so what is the alternative? Or is it just a matter of time, and one day an AI machine will miraculously find itself experiencing the world, and its mere components will have soul?

And no account of how the material stuff of the brain can be responsible for thought. No account of how the brain is able to create experience.

Watch the full debate at t iai.tv/video/the-miracle-of-mind-consciousness?utm…ĭespite the advances in neuroscience and the rapidly extending capacity of computers, we still have no adequate theory of consciousness.

Tim Crane, Bernardo Kastrup and Susan Blackmore debate the nature of consciousness.

Consciousness by Susan Blackmore