Product Description

This book revises the traditional view of consciousness by claiming that Cartesianism and Descartes' dualism of mind and body should be replaced with theories from the realms of neuroscience, psychology and artificial intelligence. What people think of as the stream of consciousness is not a single, unified sequence, the author argues, but "multiple drafts" of reality composed by a computer-like "virtual machine". Dennett considers how consciousness could have evolved in human beings and confronts the classic mysteries of consciousness: the nature of introspection, the self or ego and its relation to thoughts and sensations, and the level of consciousness of non-human creatures.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29930 in Books
• Published on: 1993-06-24
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

About the Author
Daniel Dennett is the author of Brainstorms, Brainchildren, Elbow Room, Consciousness Explained and Darwin's Dangerous Idea. He is currently the Distinguished Arts and Sciences Professor and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He lives in North Andover, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Who are you? Who am i?
The easiest thing to express, and the hardest to explain, is 'self.' If asked to define who you are, most people [excepting Daniel C. Dennett] would say, "Well, I'm me!" Pressed to define this expression those same people would likely flounder about, ending with something about being "conscious of myself - I know in my mind." It is that notion of consciousness that Dennett seeks to explain to us in this absorbing book on mind/brain awareness. Its audacious title notifies the reader that there are some fascinating concepts examined in this book. Dennett's thinking and writing skills have few, if any, peers, but be advised the going isn't always easy. 'Self' is the ultimate philosophical question and Dennett is challenging some dearly cherished beliefs here.

The most common expression of "self" nearly always boils down to the idea that our mind has a central area that observes the world around us. That centre assesses and expresses our concepts of that world in thoughts, speech, writing, whatever. It is that concept that Dennett assaults in this book. Often referred to as the Cartesian Theatre from Rene Descarte's "I think, therefore I am" concept that the brain [physical] and mind [conceptual] were separate, Dennett finds this notion too simplistic. He knows the mind is in the brain. How it works in observing the world and expressing our ideas of it is the theme of this book.

Dennett explains many facets of how we observe and how we react to what we observe. He strives admirably to counter the still widely-held belief that consciousness is a tangible "thing" that can be identified and dealt with. No such "thing" is there, he notes. Instead, the mind is weighing input and dealing with many options at once. He posits a concept of this situation he calls the 'Multiple Drafts' theory. The mind/brain is continuously processing information and making selections about what to respond to and how to make the response. Responses may be speech, writing or simply memory storage.

While Dennett's use of terminology may make the novice quail, his down-to-earth approach to the issues makes this book delightful reading for anyone. Instead of arcane concepts or lofty language from America's pre-eminent philosopher, we're given many concrete examples of how our minds work. His stature, however, is in no small part due to his skills as a communicator. Those skills are artfully expressed in this book. If you have problems with terms like 'heterophenomenology' or 'qualia', take a moment to go back to his definitions, or read on to enjoy his explanations. Either way, there are rewards. Iin short, this whole book is rewarding and will go far in helping human beings understand just what they are. We are conscious, we think, therefore we are human. How to better understand that situation is amply explained by reading this outstanding book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

A Classic in the Literature of Consciousness
Daniel Dennett is example of that rare beast, a philosopher who pays attention to the discoveries of science. He also does what he can to address important questions with a view to attempting answers, not just to trying to keep the philosophical game going. As such he has more in common with neuroscientists than he does with other philosophers in the area of philosophy of mind. Lay readers will be amazed to discover that there are still philosophers out there who believe in the duality of mind and body! Yes folks, these people exist and draw a salary. If your habits of mind are empiricist and scientific you will enjoy this book. If you believe in magical explanations of mind, you won't enjoy it but you need to read it. It addresses some of the questions which previous reviews on this page claim it doesn't, so don't be put off. As for "if you like this" suggestions, if you like this you will probably be interested in books by Paul and Patricia Churchland, William Calvin, Douglas Hofstadter, Antonio Damasio, and Igor Aleksander. None of them agree with Dennett, but their disagreements are more fruitful than those of "Hard Problem" mysterians or the uncategorisable John Searle. This is the only book I have ever given five stars in a review like this.

Ambitious, but impossible to ignore
This book by Dennett is still perhaps the most comprehensive and best description of the view that "mind" = "brain" and that there is at root no intrinsic difference between human intelligence and artificial intelligence and that there is no separate "mind stuff" - Dennett argues that the will and consciousness can be entirely explained by brain states. This is perhaps the standard work on the question. For an opposing view, you could look at the work of John Searle or Roger Penrose.