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This is a review of _Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction_ by Susan Blackmore. I need to point that out because obviously the reviews for at least two of her other books are mixed in here.
Author Susan Blackmore wrote the main textbook on Consciousness, so I expected this title to be a brief survey of all the various schools of thought on consciousness, looking at the subject broadly from the fields of Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Science, and Neurobiology, the three disciplines that address consciousness in any major way. This book fails at being an introductory survey of Consciousness. This is Susan Blackmore's own personal view of the field.
What Blackmore has written here is mainly a Philosophy of Mind book without much reference to Cognitive Science or Neurobiology. As such it was an interesting read but not particularly educational. She does discuss the problems with dualism and with Quantum Physics models of consciousness but relegates "opposing views" to hers to the Further Reading lists at the end of the book.
This book is a paean to ideas Daniel Dennett espoused in his book _Consciousness Explained_, filtered through Blackmore's mindset of Eastern Mysticism, out of body experiences, and mind-altering hallucinogenic drug use. Coming at the consciousness field from that particular angle results in a distorted, narrow, circumscribed view of the overall field.
Blackmore is preoccupied throughout this book with the same topics that preoccupied Dennett in his _Consciousness Explained_. For example a large part of this book is about memory blindness, filling in, and the non-existence of the Cartesian Theater. Dennett is only one figure associated with consciousness, and other expert views are in opposition to his, even among his fellow philosophers. Which is to say, the views of cognitive scientists and those of neurobiologists contrast even further with Dennett's model than do those of other philosophers. Yes Dennet has many followers and may be viewed by some as the preeminent authority on consciousness, but his high ranking in the field seems similar to the high ranking Noam Chomsky has had for decades in the linguistics field. Just as there are strongly elucidated competing models to Chomsky's Generative Grammar innate language model, so too there are strongly elucidated competing models to Dennett's Multiple Drafts consciousness model. And, like Chomsky's theory, Dennett's theory is the one garnering the most consensus among academics. A plurality of academics take Dennett's views as being the most acceptable ones. And, just as the popularity of Chomsky’s theory doesn’t make it the most accurate or useful one regarding language acquisition, soo too, The popularity of Dennet’s conjectures doesn't make them the most accurate or the most useful ones regarding consciousness.
Blackmore does not discuss philosopher John Searle's Chinese Room. She mentions John Searle's book _The Mystery of Consciousness_ in her Further Reading list as an "opposing view." In her defense she mentions Libet's seminal free will experiments without attempting, as so many other writers do, to somehow magically negate Libet's conclusions just because it seems wrong to accept the reality that humans do not have free will. And at least she does mention Gerald Edelman's theory, Barnard Barrs' Global Workspace, and Quantum Physics models such as those of Roger Penrose. Their books are listed in the Recommended Reading at the end of her book.
If a brief introduction to consciousness exists, written more recently than Searle's decades-old _The Mystery of Consciousness_, this book certainly is not it. This book's narrow focus is balanced by the Further Reading lists, which are where the reader will find all the other models, theories, and views of Consciousness other than the author's own.
The Further Reading lists are the most valuable part of this book.
- Series: Very Short Introductions
- Paperback: 152 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2 edition (January 2, 2018)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9780198794738
- ISBN-13: 978-0198794738
- ASIN: 0198794738
- Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 4.3 x 6.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 70 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#40,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #65 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)
- #71 in Popular Developmental Psychology
- #54 in Medical Developmental Psychology
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