Book description
How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve?
Why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust the psychologist Nicholas
Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, returns to the
front-line with a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is
nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves
inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us,
making us feel special and transcendent. Tightly argued, intellectually
gripping and a joy to read, Soul Dust is a keenly anticipated book that
provides answers to the deepest questions. It dovetails the 'hard
problem of consciousness' with the matters that obsess us all - the fear
of death, how life should be lived. Resting firmly on neuroscience and
evolutionary theory, it is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work
that never loses sight of the majesty and mystery of consciousness.
How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve?
Why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust the psychologist Nicholas
Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, returns to the
front-line with a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is
nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves
inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us,
making us feel special and transcendent. Tightly argued, intellectually
gripping and a joy to read, Soul Dust is a keenly anticipated book that
provides answers to the deepest questions. It dovetails the 'hard
problem of consciousness' with the matters that obsess us all - the fear
of death, how life should be lived. Resting firmly on neuroscience and
evolutionary theory, it is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work
that never loses sight of the majesty and mystery of consciousness.
