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A fascinating exploration of the nature of consciousness This
engaging and readable book provides an introduction to
consciousness that does justice both to the science and to the
philosophy of consciousness, that is, the mechanics of the mind and
the experience of awareness. The book opens with a general
discussion of the brain and of consciousness itself. Then,
exploring the areas of brain science most likely to illuminate the
basis of awareness, Zeman focuses on the science of sleep and
waking and on the science of vision. He describes healthy states
and disorders-epilepsy, narcolepsy, blindsight and hallucinations
after stroke-that provide insights into the capacity for
consciousness and into its contents. And he tracks the evolution of
the brain, the human species, and human culture and surveys the
main current scientific theories of awareness, pioneering attempts
to explain how the brain gives rise to experience. Zeman concludes
by examining philosophical arguments about the nature of
consciousness. A practicing neurologist, he animates his text with
examples from the behavioral and neurological disorders of his
patients and from the expanding mental worlds of young children,
including his own. His book is an accessible and enlightening
explanation of why we are conscious.
Bizarre, perplexing, and moving cases of brain disorder, told by a
neurologist with an extraordinary gift for storytelling In this
compelling book, neurologist Adam Zeman tells the stories of
patients with a variety of neurological disorders, some familiar
(epilepsy, chronic fatigue, stroke, memory loss) and others
relatively mysterious (narcolepsy, chronic deja vu, compulsive
fidgeting, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). Chapter by chapter, the
author reveals the various levels of the brain, from the atom to
the mind, and explores what happens when workings at each level go
awry. Zeman requires of his readers no special knowledge of
medicine or science, yet he takes us to the very frontiers of
current scientific knowledge and elucidates the workings of the
brain in astonishing detail. The book weaves together fascinating
case histories, clear accounts of concepts and discoveries in
neuroscience, and an intimate view of the suspense, excitement,
fun, and angst that color a neurologist's days. Zeman also
considers what the brain's behavior and misbehavior can tell us
about the human self as physical system, living creature, and
conscious mind. In a final chapter he reflects on the place of the
mind in nature. On every page Zeman both entertains and informs,
and readers will find themselves pondering the enigmas of brain and
mind long after closing the covers of this thought-provoking
volume.
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