Exploring Consciousness - Softcover

Rita Carter ponders the nature, origins, and purpose of consciousness in this fascinating inquiry into the toughest problem facing modern science and philosophy. Building on the foundation of her bestselling bookMapping the Mind, she considers whether consciousness is merely an illusion, a by-product of our brain's workings, some as yet inexplicable feature or property of the material universe oras the latest physics may suggestthe very fundament of reality. Little, she discovers, is as it first seems.

Carter draws from a solid body of knowledgeempirical findings and theoretical hypotheses--about consciousness, much of it derived from recent discoveries about the brain. Her lively, accessible narrative ranges widely over new ways of thinking about the subject and what direction new research is taking. Leading scholars from a range of perspectives provide topical essays that complement Carter's account. The book also discusses how traditional approachesphilosophical, scientific, and experientialmight be brought together to create a more complete understanding of consciousness.