The Astonishing Hypothesis [antikvár]

Preface This book is about the mystery of consciousness—how to explain it in scientific terms. I do not suggest a crisp solution to the problem. I wish I could, but at the present time this seems far too difficult. Of course some philosophers are under the delusion they have already solved the mystery, but to me their explanations do not have the ring of scientific truth. What I have tried to do here is to sketch the general nature of consciousness and to make some tentative suggestions about how to study it experimentally. I am proposing a particular research strategy, not a fully developed theory. What I want to know is exactly what is going on in my brain when I see something. Some readers will find this approach disappointing since, as a matter of tactics, it deliberately leaves out many aspects of consciousness they would love to hear discussed—in particular, how one should define it. You do not win battles by debating exactly what is meant by the word battle. You need to have good troops, good weapons, a good strategy, and then hit the enemy hard. The same applies to solving a difficult scientific problem. I have tried to write for the general reader who has some interest in science but little expert knowledge of it. This means that I have had to explain the different disciplines related to consciousness in rather simple terms. Even so, some readers may find certain parts of the book difficult to read. To them I say: Don't be discouraged by the unfamiliar nature of some of the arguments or by the complexity of some of the experimental details. Press on, or skim over the difficult sections. The bottom line is often quite easy to understand. Those philosophers and scientists who study the mind and the brain will see only too clearly that I have passed over many topics of vital interest to them. In spite of the simplicity of the treatment, I hope that they may learn something from what I have written, even if it is only in those sections they know least about. I have tried to avoid