The Conscious Brain

The problem of consciousness continues to be a subject of great debate in cognitive science. Synthesizing decades of research, The Conscious Brain advances a new theory of the psychological and neurophysiological correlates of conscious experience. Prinz's account of consciousness makes two main claims: first consciousness always arises at a particular stage of perceptual processing, the intermediate level, and, second, consciousness depends on attention. Attention changes the flow of information allowing perceptual information to access memory systems. Neurobiologically, this change in flow depends on synchronized neural firing. Neural synchrony is also implicated in the unity of consciousness and in the temporal duration of experience. Prinz also explores the limits of consciousness. We have no direct experience of our thoughts, no experience of motor commands, and no experience of a conscious self. All consciousness is perceptual, and it functions to make perceptual information available to systems that allows for flexible behavior. Prinz concludes by discussing prevailing philosophical puzzles. He provides a neuroscientifically grounded response to the leading argument for dualism, and argues that materialists need not choose between functional and neurobiological approaches, but can instead combine these into neurofunctional response to the mind-body problem. The Conscious Brain brings neuroscientific evidence to bear on enduring philosophical questions, while also surveying, challenging, and extending philosophical and scientific theories of consciousness. All readers interested in the nature of consciousness will find Prinz's work of great interest.

The Conscious Brain is highly readable throughout and offers a detailed and balanced overview of the relevant scientific literature. The arguments it presents are sophisticated, subtle, and engaging, and interrelated in such a way that it gives us a glimmer of hope that one day we will discover a complete theory of consciousness ... Now go buy a copy and give your braina treat!

Autorentext
Jesse Prinz is Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina.



Klappentext
Synthesizing decades of research, The Conscious Brain advances a theory of the psychological and neurophysiological correlates of conscious experience. In the first part of the book, Prinz argues that consciousness always arises at a particular stage of perceptual processing, the intermediate level, and that consciousness depends on attention. Attention changes the flow of information and that gives rise to experience. The resulting account is called the AIR Theory, for attended intermediate-level representations. Objections to the theory are addressed. In the second part of the book, Prinz argues that all consciousness is perceptual: there is no cognitive phenomenology, no experience of motor commands, and no experience of a conscious self. This conclusions challenge popular theories in consciousness studies: the view that we can directly experience our thoughts, the view that consciousness essentially involves action, and the view that every experience includes awareness of the subject having that experience. In the third part of the book, Prinz explores the neural correlates of consciousness. He argues attention-hence consciousness-arises when populations of neurons fire in synchrony, and he responds to those who deny that consciousness could be a process in the brain. Along the way, Prinz also advances novel theories of qualia, the function of consciousness, the unity of consciousness, and the mind-body relation, defending a view called neurofunctionism. Each chapter in The Conscious Brain brings neuroscientific evidence to bear on enduring philosophical questions. Major philosophical and scientific theories of consciousness are surveyed, challenged, and extended.

Zusammenfassung
The Conscious Brain brings neuroscientific evidence to bear on enduring philosophical questions. Major philosophical and scientific theories of consciousness are surveyed, challenged, and extended.

Inhalt
Preface
Part I. A Theory of Consciousness
1: Do We Really Need Another Theory of Consciousness?
2: Which States Are Conscious? The Intermediate Level
3: When Are We Conscious? Attention and Availability
Part II. The Limits of Consciousness
4: Does Consciousness Outstrip Perception? A Restrictive View
5: Why Are We Conscious? Action without Enaction
6: Whose Conscious States Are These? The Illusory Self
Part III. The Metaphysics of Consciousness
7: How Is Consciousness Unified? Attentional Resonance
8: What Is Consciousness? Neural Correlates and Nuerofunctionalism
9: Could Consciousness Be Physical? The Brain Maintained
Conclusion: AIR Compared

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