Free eBooks The Conscious Mind: In Search Of A Fundamental Theory (Philosophy Of Mind) Available To Downloads
What is consciousness? How do physical processes in the brain give rise to the self-aware mind and to feelings as profoundly varied as love or hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual yearning? These questions today are among the most hotly debated issues among scientists and philosophers, and we have seen in recent years superb volumes by such eminent figures as Francis Crick, Daniel C. Dennett, Gerald Edelman, and Roger Penrose, all firing volleys in what has come to be called the consciousness wars. Now, in The Conscious Mind, philosopher David J. Chalmers offers a cogent analysis of this heated debate as he unveils a major new theory of consciousness, one that rejects the prevailing reductionist trend of science, while offering provocative insights into the relationship between mind and brain. Writing in a rigorous, thought-provoking style, the author takes us on a far-reaching tour through the philosophical ramifications of consciousness. Chalmers convincingly reveals how contemporary cognitive science and neurobiology have failed to explain how and why mental events emerge from physiological occurrences in the brain. He proposes instead that conscious experience must be understood in an entirely new light--as an irreducible entity (similar to such physical properties as time, mass, and space) that exists at a fundamental level and cannot be understood as the sum of its parts. And after suggesting some intriguing possibilities about the structure and laws of conscious experience, he details how his unique reinterpretation of the mind could be the focus of a new science. Throughout the book, Chalmers provides fascinating thought experiments that trenchantly illustrate his ideas. For example, in exploring the notion that consciousness could be experienced by machines as well as humans, Chalmers asks us to imagine a thinking brain in which neurons are slowly replaced by silicon chips that precisely duplicate their functions--as the neurons are replaced, will consciousness gradually fade away? The book also features thoughtful discussions of how the author's theories might be practically applied to subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence and the interpretation of quantum mechanics. All of us have pondered the nature and meaning of consciousness. Engaging and penetrating, The Conscious Mind adds a fresh new perspective to the subject that is sure to spark debate about our understanding of the mind for years to come.
Series: Philosophy of Mind
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; Revised ed. edition (November 27, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0195117891
ISBN-13: 978-0195117899
Product Dimensions: 9 x 1.2 x 6.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #182,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #49 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > Metaphysics #133 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Movements > Humanism #171 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Medicine > Clinical > Neurology
The basic problem with any materialist theory of consciousness is that there is no room for consciousness to *do* anything -- it is caused by certain material processes but does not itself cause anything. The firing of a neuron can always be explained in terms of the firing of other neurons, the impingement of a photon on a photoreceptor, or some other objectively observable cause. At no point is it necessary to say that "this neuron fired because the brain it was part of had such-and-such a subjective experience". Thus consciousness is not logically necessary in our objective description of the material world, so we can at least conceive of a world where David Chalmers' zombie twin writes papers and books about the mind-body problem without ever having any subjective experience itself. This seems absurd but the absurdity is inherent in all the various flavors of functionalism or property dualism. And "new physics" won't change the picture at all -- string theory, quantum gravity, quantum multiverses, and any as yet unconcieved of physical theory are all simply more of the same kind of "ontological stuff" that we already have -- objective procedures for predicting the behavior of objectively measurable things.Some functionalists attempt to make the problem go away simply by declaring conscious states a matter of definition -- "pain" is some set of states of an information processing system, "pleasure" is some other, etc. Thus whether a robot that makes a convincing whine when you hit it actually experiences pain is a matter of definition.
The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory (Philosophy of Mind) Word Search Book for Adults: Word Search Puzzles to Improve Memory and Exercise: word search, word search books, word search books for adults, adult word search books, word search puzzle books Word Search Puzzles Large Print: Large print word search, Word search books, Word search books for adults, Adult word search books, Word search puzzle books, Extra large print word search Who Dies?: An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying Roofing (Fundamental Series) (Passbooks) (Fundamental Passbooks) Warriors Word Scramble: Word Scramble Games - Word Search, Word Puzzles And Word Scrambles (Word Games, Brain Games, Word Search, Word Search Games, Word ... Scramble, Word Scrabble, Unscramble Word) The Best Large Print Word Search Puzzle Book: A Collection of 50 Themed Word Search Puzzles; Great for Adults and for Kids! (The Best Large Print Word Search Puzzle Books) (Volume 1) Fingerspelling Word Search Games - 36 Word Search Puzzles with the American Sign Language Alphabet: Volume 01 (Fingerspelling Word Search Games for Adults) The End of Comparative Philosophy and the Task of Comparative Thinking: Heidegger, Derrida, and Daoism (SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture) ... Chinese Philosophy and Culture (Paperback)) Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain Facebook and Philosophy: What's on Your Mind? (Popular Culture and Philosophy) The Primal Low-Carb Kitchen: Comfort Food Recipes for the Carb Conscious Cook Carb Conscious Vegetarian: 150 Delicious Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle The Conscious Wedding Handbook: How to Create Authentic Ceremonies That Express Your Love Conscious Bride's Wedding Planner Conscious Loving: The Journey to Co-Commitment Windows to the Womb: Revealing the Conscious Baby from Conception to Birth The Conscious Pregnancy: A Spiritual and Practical Approach to Creating a Zen Baby The practical use of oxygen-nitrous oxide conscious sedation in dental practice Am I Screwing Up My Kids?: 8 Foundational Concepts to Close the Conscious Parenting Gap
