Consciousness: An Introduction, 3rd Edition

Is there a theory that explains the essence of consciousness? Or is consciousness itself just an illusion? The ‘last great mystery of science’, consciousness is an area of cognitive psychology that was once viewed with extreme scepticism and was consequently avoided by the majority of mainstream scientific researchers. However, it has now become a significant area of research despite the complexity of the subject matter. There is no universally accepted definition of what consciousness entails, although most psychology academics would acknowledge that broadly speaking, it explores the experience of being aware of an external object or something within oneself.

Table of Contents

Section One The problem
Chapter 1 What’S The Problem?
Chapter 2 What Is It Like To Be . . .?
Chapter 3 The Grand Illusion

Section Two The brain
Chapter 4 Neuroscience And The Correlates Of Consciousness
Chapter 5 The Theatre Of The Mind
Chapter 6 The Unity Of Consciousness

Section Three Body and world
Chapter 7 Attention
Chapter 8 Conscious And Unconscious
Chapter 9 Agency And Free Will

Section Four Evolution
Chapter 10 Evolution And Animal Minds
Chapter 11 The Function Of Consciousness
Chapter 12 The Evolution Of Machines

Section Five Borderlands
Chapter 13 Altered States Of Consciousness
Chapter 14 Reality And Imagination
Chapter 15 Dreaming And Beyond

Section Six Self and other
Chapter 16 Egos, Bundles, And Theories Of Self
Chapter 17 The View From Within?
Chapter 18 Waking Up