Mindworlds: A Decade of Consciousness Studies [Paperback]

'Consciousness studies, now halfway through its second decade as a self-consciously separate field of inquiry, finds a lucid, entertaining expositor in Andrew Ross. As well as chronicling the developments -- and some of the colorful personality clashes -- in the field, Ross has ideas of his own to contribute, grounded in a thorough acquaintance with physics, math, psychology, and philosophy, taking Wittgenstein's "I am my world" for a keynote. It's a wild ride.' -- John Derbyshire -- author of Prime Obsession

'Andy Ross thinks, and thinks for himself. He can teach things to mutual-citation circles in the philosophy and science of consciousness.' --Ted Honderich

'In Mindworlds, Andrew Ross mixes, in a charming and highly intelligent way, speculations about consciousness with a very informative account of recent debates in consciousness studies plus some autobiography. Anyone interested in consciousness and the people who study it will be fascinated by it, as I have been.' -- Paul Snowdon

Understanding consciousness is one of the central scientific challenges of our time. This book presents Andy Ross' recent work and discusses a range of perspectives on the core issues. The chapters are based on texts written for a variety of occasions and audiences. Reading them in order, one senses a growing clarity in the articulation of the new ideas, some of which are deep and rather subtle, and glimpses the outlines of a dynamic field. Ross has taken pains to unify the collection and make the main thread clearly visible. His new ideas are of fundamental importance, and readers who grapple with them should gain insight that amply rewards the effort. J. Andrew Ross is a freelance philosopher and writer based in Germany.