In the fifth chapter, the author presents the link between consciousness and perception of self. We have a number of blind spots, many of which result from the fact that a great deal of what the brain does, it does without letting the conscious mind in on events. However, remember that we experience the world from inside the frame of reference of consciousness.Ĭhapter four examines a number of illusions to which our conscious minds are systematically subject. Consider life-long love being uprooted by a scalpel.Ĭhapter three deals with a number of topics related to time and space, such as whether consciousness lags behind reality. the idea that body and mind are separate) have been in decline because of cases in which brain damage is specifically linked to changes in consciousness. In doing so, it outlines why consciousness is such an elusive subject.Ĭhapter two describes the attempt to find correlates of consciousness in the brain, and it describes some of the case of brain damage that support the notion that consciousness is a product of the brain. The first chapter attempts to define consciousness and discusses the degree to which there is a lack of consensus on the subject. She lays out the arguments between scholars of science and philosophy as to what exactly consciousness is, how it operates, and how important it is or isn’t.

So it is that Blackmore takes on a shadowy subject in which questions are as likely to lead to more questions as they are answers. Consciousness was intertwined with ideas of “the soul”-a non-material self-ness. the human brain), it was beyond humanity’s intellectual capacity to comprehend how something as grand as consciousness could arise from a 1.2kg (<3lb) organ.

Of course, historically, it wasn’t at all common to think of consciousness as arising from the action of a material object (e.g. While science has been moving toward the belief that consciousness is rooted in the brain, there remain many important questions to be answered. It’s also one of the most intriguing subjects, and fascination with it has spurred debate both between science and religion and within science. Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction by Susan BlackmoreĬonsciousness remains one of the least understood phenomena of our world.

Consciousness by susan blackmore