Product Description

Our subjective inner life is what really matters to us as human beings - and yet we know relatively little about how it arises. Over a long and distinguished career Benjamin Libet has conducted experiments that have helped us see, in clear and concrete ways, how the brain produces conscious awareness. For the first time, Libet gives his own account of these experiments and their importance for our understanding of consciousness. Most notably, Libet's experiments reveal a substantial delay - the "mind time" of the title - before any awareness affects how we view our mental activities. If all conscious awarenesses are preceded by unconscious processes, as Libet observes, we are forced to conclude that unconscious processes initiate our conscious experiences. Freely voluntary acts are found to be initiated unconsciously before an awareness of wanting to act - a discovery with profound ramifications for our understanding of free will. How do the physical activities of billions of cerebral nerve cells give rise to an integrated conscious subjective awareness? How can the subjective mind affect or control voluntary actions? Libet considers these questions, as well as the implications of his discoveries for the nature of the soul, the identity of the person, and the relation of the non-physical subjective mind to the physical brain that produces it. Rendered in clear, accessible language, Libet's experiments and theories will allow interested amateurs and experts alike to share the experience of the extraordinary discoveries made in the practical study of consciousness.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #822584 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
Libet only dared switch to the study of consciousness after he got tenure. It is fortunate for us that he did, and that he has presented us here with what amounts to a retrospective exhibition of his work...The refreshing result is that we are immediately engaged in an earnest one-to-one tutorial with Ýhim ...In Ýhis work, philosophers have found grist for what they do best. Indeed, his experiments...must rank as one of the major contributions of experimental psychology to modern philosophy of mind...ÝW hether or not one agrees with his thesis or not, one must acknowledge that his pioneering experimental work has certainly been stimulating. -- Kevan Martin "Nature" (05/20/2004)

Customer Reviews

Time is Precious
The nature of the relationship between brain and mind is perhaps the biggest question in science today, and in this book Libet takes the opportunity to share his views on the matter. In the twilight of his career as a successful neuroscientist, Libet is excellently placed to provide a detailed summary of the main arguments in the mind/brain debate, and in 'Mind Time' he accomplishes this well. Througout his career, Libet's experimental work has produced some surprising and counter-intuitive results. In 'Mind Time' these experiments are explained in detail; the results are startling, and the inference of these results mind-boggling. Any reader interested in the debate over how the conscious mind is generated from brain activity is sure to enjoy this aspect of the book.

Slightly disappointing, however, was Libet's tendency to repeat himself in his writing. At times he seems to state the obvious, repeat it, then state it again for good measure. Also, a large part of the final chapter takes the form of an imagined conversation between Libet and the great philosopher Descartes. Some readers may enjoy this writing style, but others (like the author of this review) may well find this a tedious and slightly ridiculous part of the book that betrays the arrogance (and perhaps senility) of the author.

In sum, 'Mind Time' is an interesting and thought-provoking book that many will enjoy, however some readers may find certain aspects of the book disappointing. Those readers could do worse than read Ramachandran's 'Phantoms in the Brain', an excellent book that this reviewer thoroughly recommends.

Not much new light
The merit of this book is to serve as a handy summary of Libet's lifework. Libet was a prolific producer of scientific papers. For the lay reader, Mind-Time obviates the need to plough through a mass of academic material, and instead brings together a full but concise description of the two sets of experiments that Libet is principally known for. These involve, firstly the half-second delay needed for sensory input to come into consciousness, along with the puzzling apparent backward referral of the conscious experience in time, and secondly the relationship between readiness potentials in the brain and voluntary acts, with its controversial implications for freewill.

There is, however, some frustration for readers who are already familiar with Libet's work, in that he does not throw any new light on the interpretation of his experiments, in particular the readiness potential experiments, where he seems to evade fully discussing the possible distinction between trivial voluntary actions, such as the timing of wrist flexing used in his experiments, and more strategic voluntary decisions.

The only new material is the proposal that conscious subjective experience exists as a field. As described, this appears to awkwardly straddle the line between the scientific paradigm and dualism. The theory is claimed to be testable, but the proposed test involves isolated pieces of brain tissue that have been shown to lack the 'self-starting' qualities associated with living brains.

Disappointing
An interesting report on research results but the conclusion I have the feeling are wrong as the meaning of "free will" are mixed up with the meaning of "conscious decisions". Perhaps it is a general problem for us anglo-saxons to keep the two apart. Europeans have less problems.