Consciousness: A Guide to the Debates

Once the domain of philosophers, the study of consciousness is now an exciting branch of science. Author Anthony Freeman, managing editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, opens Consciousness with a history of mind study, from the ancient Greeks to the present, and provides a multidisciplinary review of cognitive science. Freeman untangles the conflicting theories on the working of the brain, analyzing the techniques developed for its study over the years.--"Seeing" v. "believing," mind/body connections, zombies, and assembly line robots are just the beginning. Even chaos theory and quantum physics are relevant, with opposing approaches inciting disciplinary battles. This illustrated and accessible volume introduces key researchers like Wilder Penfield, who talked with his conscious sister while operating on her brain tumor.