Stairway to the Mind: The Controversial New Science of Consciousness [Hardcover]

Alwyn Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 1995

Human consciousness has perplexed philosophers, artists and scientists for centuries. Some hold it to be purely physical, while others believe it transcends the material world. Now comes a book that offers a new perspective - based entirely on evidence from the natural sciences - whereby materialism and dualism co-exist. The author - a distinguished pioneer of nonlinear dynamics - bases his argument on a hierarchical view of mental organization; a stairway. Atoms give rise to molecules, neurons form the brain and individual consciousness leads to shared culture. All steps are needed to complete the picture and each level derives from the previous one. The book shows specialists how each of their fields adds to the overall picture, while providing general readers with an introduction to this investigation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a work of enormous scope and ambition, yet written in a lucid style, with great modesty. -- Journal of Consciousness Studies

...presented intelligently, poetically, and even humorously, on a serious subject that has confounded famous thinkers for centuries. -- Choice

...the critical survey of 20th-century thought is fascinating and highly relevant. -- The Times Higher Education Supplement

A very elegant, thorough and informative defense ... concerning the mind as an "emergent phenomenon". I recommend it very warmly indeed. -- Sir Roger Penrose, University of Oxford [author of Shadows of the Mind]

An enormously ambitious undertaking, which Scott accomplishes deftly and with considerable charm...a refreshing excursion through difficult territory. -- Erich Harth, Syracuse University [author of The Creative Loop]

About the Author

Alwyn Scott is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Arizona and in the Institute of Mathematical Modeling at the Technical University of Denmark. He is the founding editor of Physica D-Nonlinear Phenomena, and the founding director of the Center for Nonlinear Studies at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Springer (July 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387943811
• ISBN-13: 978-0387943817
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the most deeply thoughtful book on the subject., February 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stairway to the Mind: The Controversial New Science of Consciousness (Hardcover)

This is one of the most significant books on the nature of consciousness scince the appearence of William James's "Principles of Sychology" and Erwin Schroedinger's "Mind and Matter". Combining the best of classical knowledge of the mind, with the insights of contemporary Nonlinear Science, this book provides a provides a perspective from which matieralism and dualism are no longer contradictory views. For anyone who is in anyway at all interesed in consciousness or any related subjects, this book is an absolute must! Written in fully comprehensible language, it belongs on the bookshelf of all those interested in the subject, newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The quest to explain the inexplicable, July 1, 2005

By 

Osam Alwan (Bahrain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stairway to the Mind: The Controversial New Science of Consciousness (Hardcover)

What struck me most from the book was the fact that all sciences are separated by barriers. From quantum physics to chemistry to biology, the author tries to build a coherent structure of thought to guide us towards understanding consciousness. However, there are gaps between these sciences and I believe that only "The Theory of Everything" can bridge these gaps if it is ever discovered one day.

Indeed I tend to agree with the author that consciousness cannot be explained by just one theory monopolized by one field of science. As he put it:
"Like life, the phenomenon of consciousness is intimately related to several levels of the scientific hierarchy, so the appropriate scientists-cytologists, electrophysiologists, neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, anesthesiologists, socialogists and ethnologists-should be working together. It is difficult to see how this elusive phenomenon might otherwise be understood."

14 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summaries of critical comments, August 5, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Stairway to the Mind: The Controversial New Science of Consciousness (Hardcover)

Critical comments on STAIRWAY TO THE MIND are availabel at "http://www.imm.dtu.dk/documents/users/acs/book2.html".