Sizing up Consciousness

Towards an objective measure of the capacity for experience

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Specialties, Internal Medicine, Neuroscience, Science & Nature, Science, Psychology
Cover of the book Sizing up Consciousness by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi ISBN: 9780191044113
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: May 31, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
ISBN: 9780191044113
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: May 31, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Everyone knows what consciousness is: it is what vanishes when we fall into dreamless sleep and reappears when we wake up or when we dream. However, we become less and less confident when we are called to answer fundamental questions about the relationships between consciousness and the physical world. Why is the cerebral cortex associated with consciousness, but not the liver, the heart, the cerebellum or other neural structures? Why does consciousness fade during deep sleep, while cortical neurons remain active? Can unresponsive patients with an island of active cortex surrounded by widespread damage be conscious? Is an artificial system that outperforms people at driving, recognizing faces and objects, and answering difficult questions conscious? Using the Integrated Information Theory (IIT) as a guiding principle, Sizing up Consciousness explores these questions, taking the reader along a fascinating journey from the cerebral cortex to the cerebellum, from wakefulness to sleep, anesthesia, and coma, supercomputers, octopuses, dolphins, and much more besides. By translating theoretical principles into practical measurements, the book outlines a preliminary attempt to identify a general rule to size up the capacity for consciousness within the human skull and beyond. Sizing up Consciousness is a short, accessible book, spanning neuronal activity to existential considerations and is essential reading for anyone interested in awareness and cognition.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Everyone knows what consciousness is: it is what vanishes when we fall into dreamless sleep and reappears when we wake up or when we dream. However, we become less and less confident when we are called to answer fundamental questions about the relationships between consciousness and the physical world. Why is the cerebral cortex associated with consciousness, but not the liver, the heart, the cerebellum or other neural structures? Why does consciousness fade during deep sleep, while cortical neurons remain active? Can unresponsive patients with an island of active cortex surrounded by widespread damage be conscious? Is an artificial system that outperforms people at driving, recognizing faces and objects, and answering difficult questions conscious? Using the Integrated Information Theory (IIT) as a guiding principle, Sizing up Consciousness explores these questions, taking the reader along a fascinating journey from the cerebral cortex to the cerebellum, from wakefulness to sleep, anesthesia, and coma, supercomputers, octopuses, dolphins, and much more besides. By translating theoretical principles into practical measurements, the book outlines a preliminary attempt to identify a general rule to size up the capacity for consciousness within the human skull and beyond. Sizing up Consciousness is a short, accessible book, spanning neuronal activity to existential considerations and is essential reading for anyone interested in awareness and cognition.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Film, Art, and the Third Culture by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book After the Invasion by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Hobson-Jobson by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Cognitive Biology by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Why Philosophy Matters for the Study of Religion—and Vice Versa by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book A Short Guide to Brain Imaging by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Diversifying Greek Tragedy on the Contemporary US Stage by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book No Ordinary Woman by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book The Transnationalized Social Question by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book A Dictionary of Journalism by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book From Individual to Plural Agency by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book The United States and Western Europe Since 1945 by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Geriatric Medicine: an evidence-based approach by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
Cover of the book Sounds and Perception by Marcello Massimini, Giulio Tononi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy