Neural Correlates of Consciousness: Empirical and Conceptual Questions (Hardcover)

by Thomas Metzinger (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book brings together an international group of neuroscientists and philosophers who are investigating how the content of subjective experience is correlated with events in the brain. The fundamental methodological problem in consciousness research is the subjectivity of the target phenomenon--the fact that conscious experience, under standard conditions, is always tied to an individual, first-person perspective. The core empirical question is whether and how physical states of the human nervous system can be mapped onto the content of conscious experience. The search for the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) has become a highly active field of investigation in recent years. Methods such as single-cell recording in monkeys and brain imaging and electrophysiology in humans, applied to such phenomena as blindsight, implicit/explicit cognition, and binocular rivalry, have generated a wealth of data. The same period has seen the development of a number of theories about NCC location. This volume brings together the leading experimentalists and theoreticians in the field. Topics include foundational and evolutionary issues, global integration, vision, consciousness and the NMDA receptor complex, neuroimaging, implicit processes, intentionality and phenomenal volition, schizophrenia, social cognition, and the phenomenal self. Contributors Jackie Andrade, Ansgar Beckermann, David J. Chalmers, Francis Crick, Antonio R. Damasio, Gerald M. Edelman, Dominic ffytche, Hans Flohr, N. P. Franks, Vittorio Gallese, Melvyn A. Goodale, Valerie Gray Hardcastle, Beena Khurana, Christof Koch, W. R. Lieb, Erik D. Lumer, Thomas Metzinger, Kelly J. Murphy, Romi Nijhawan, Joëlle Proust, Antti Revonsuo, Gerhard Roth, Thomas Schmidt, Wolf Singer, Giulio Tononi.

About the Author
Thomas Metzinger is Professor Philosophy at the University of Osnabrück, Germany.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1st edition (September 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262133709
• ISBN-13: 978-0262133708
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,200,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, October 17, 2000

By A Customer

This book is really great - it is a tour de force through all disciplines related to consciousness research, including philosophy of science and of mind, neuroscience, cognitive and neuropsychology. It is safe to say that it is written not only by some of the most important researchers in the field (which is true of many books), but also by MOST of them. The list of contributors is really remarkable, and a number of chapters are important updates of their current theories. There are also some chapters including new research data of high quality, some citable as important original work available nowhere else! I think this book should grace any library on consciousness research, not only for its interdisciplinary architecture but also as reflecting the state of art in this area.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best collection to date., October 19, 2001

By	Carlos Camara "marrorris2" (Monterrey, Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I absolutely loved this book. Nowhere else had I read such an interesting and complete review of where the field of consciousness studies presently stands. The first part of the book, mostly by philosophers, shows that fruitfull interactions are possible betwween science and philosophy. The part on visual consciousness is impressive, shedding much light on new theories and possibilities. In part 2, Damasio, Crick, Edelman and Singer introduce their candidates for the NCC masterfully. The last and more philosophically inclined part of the book, reviews some usually overlooked issues, but unfortunately ends up being mostly speculative. Overall, however,in my opinion this book is the most important contribution to consciousness literature to date.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good start towards an interdisciplinary dialog, February 5, 2003

By	DR P. Dash "drdneuro" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For me, the most interesting thing about this book was the attempt to establish a dialog between neuroscience and philosopy, wherein philosophy is able to sharpen questions posed by neuroscientists, and in turn the findings of neuroscience help shape philosophical questions. One of the more successful examples of this dialog is in "theory of mind," really first brought to the fore by philosophers, then turned into empirical questions that have been addressed experimentally by both developmental psychologists and neuroscientists. However, I have to say I found some of the philosophical contributions in this book rather heavy going, though I imagine those with more of a philosophy background would have the same to say about the neuroscientific chapters! I agree that the contributors are top-notch, with two of them (Edelman and Crick) Nobelists. Several of them have more expansive versions of their theories presented elsewhere...e.g. Damasio in his "The Feeling of What Happens" and Edelman in "A Universe of Consciousness", though the chapters here are nice, brief summaries of their ideas.