- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: OUP Oxford (10 Nov 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 019280622X
- ISBN-13: 978-0192806222
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 600,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Conversations on Consciousness: Interviews with Twenty Minds
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Product Description
Review
A great read for someone studying, or itnerested in the study of consciousness. (BBC Mindgames )
Blackmore herself comes across as spunky and clever, and the probing follow-up questions she occasionally asks prevent the interviews from seeming too repetitive and boring. (Nature )
"the book provides a very efficient overview of contemporary strands of thinking about its subject." (Steven Poole, The Guardian )
Blackmore herself comes across as spunky and clever, and the probing follow-up questions she occasionally asks prevent the interviews from seeming too repetitive and boring. (Nature )
"the book provides a very efficient overview of contemporary strands of thinking about its subject." (Steven Poole, The Guardian )
BBC Mindgames, January 2007
'A great read for someone studying, or interested in the study of
consciousness.'
consciousness.'
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In the spring of 2000 I was preparing for a trip to Tucson, Arizona, for a conference called 'Toward a Science of Consciousness'. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
In the spring of 2000 I was preparing for a trip to Tucson, Arizona, for a conference called 'Toward a Science of Consciousness'. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Roughly the same questions are given to alot of the most interesting people in contemporary consciousness research. It spans over psychology, philosophy, neuro-science and religion - and does so without getting boring.
It's spread out into the "conversations" and it's a very good-night read - but don't expect any real depth from it. Each conversation gets about 10-15 pages (if I remember correctly) - so it's hard to be anything but superficial.
Where it REALLY wins me over is in the way it creates a map of the different ideas and thoughts within the field of consciousness. It does this REALLY well, so if you want to get a grasp of the different ideas and paths there are to explore - this would be a great place to start.
It puts focus on free will and what consciousness really "is" - and how it is formed.
If you buy this book, please remember to look at the little dictionary in the back, it's got all the terms described in a way that almost everyone can understand it.
It's spread out into the "conversations" and it's a very good-night read - but don't expect any real depth from it. Each conversation gets about 10-15 pages (if I remember correctly) - so it's hard to be anything but superficial.
Where it REALLY wins me over is in the way it creates a map of the different ideas and thoughts within the field of consciousness. It does this REALLY well, so if you want to get a grasp of the different ideas and paths there are to explore - this would be a great place to start.
It puts focus on free will and what consciousness really "is" - and how it is formed.
If you buy this book, please remember to look at the little dictionary in the back, it's got all the terms described in a way that almost everyone can understand it.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is not a detailed book on consciousness. The author interviews most of the current consciousness theoreticians to get a flavour of their ideas and how they differ from each other. Each person gets about 10 pages or so, so don't expect more than a brief appreciation of each.
The language is also quite technical (-there is a glossary, but it's very short), so I would not recommend this as a first read on the subject. Being a series of interviews, the text does not flow as well as a book and is sometimes rather stacato.
Overall, this is a good synopsis on the current thinking : use it to choose the theory you find most attractive and then search for books by that author to get the real meat of their theory.
The language is also quite technical (-there is a glossary, but it's very short), so I would not recommend this as a first read on the subject. Being a series of interviews, the text does not flow as well as a book and is sometimes rather stacato.
Overall, this is a good synopsis on the current thinking : use it to choose the theory you find most attractive and then search for books by that author to get the real meat of their theory.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Of course, I read this book from cover to cover.
I have only recently started to seriously research the extremely interesting topic of consciousness.
I now use Susan Blackmore's book as a precursor to the works of other scientists/philosophers.
Along the lines of...
1) re-read one of the 'conversations' to get a feel for the interviewee's opinion
2) read the book I have purchased by that same interviewee
My only niggle is when she questions how the interviewees' beliefs on consciousness have affected their lives (I skipped that bit, sorry). Maybe I will appreciate that question when I have researched consciousness for many years - which I intend to do :)
For me, at the start of the journey, Susan Blackmore's book is invaluable.
I have only recently started to seriously research the extremely interesting topic of consciousness.
I now use Susan Blackmore's book as a precursor to the works of other scientists/philosophers.
Along the lines of...
1) re-read one of the 'conversations' to get a feel for the interviewee's opinion
2) read the book I have purchased by that same interviewee
My only niggle is when she questions how the interviewees' beliefs on consciousness have affected their lives (I skipped that bit, sorry). Maybe I will appreciate that question when I have researched consciousness for many years - which I intend to do :)
For me, at the start of the journey, Susan Blackmore's book is invaluable.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Any simplification helps!
This is a very useful book. Conversations often reveal quickly where a person stands on a controversial issue. Read more
Published on 23 May 2010 by Mike Douglas
Reasonably insightful, but repetitive series of expert consciousness...
Involves about 25 conversations with leading philosophers and neuroscientists on consciousness and free will. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2008 by Daniel Bor
Very informative, directly from the best people on the field!
You get all the different raprochements on the relation of consciousness to matter: You get the theories of those who believe in gods, of those who believe in classical laborious... Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2007 by A. Kogevinas
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