Christof Koch
The Quest for Consciousness A Neurobiological Approach Publication date : February 2, 2006
Fifty years ago, it was generally considered impossible to discover the mystery of life; but thanks to James Watson and Francis Crick, the secrets of DNA were revealed. A similar challenge now faces the problem of the material foundations of the conscious mind. Consciousness is, without doubt, the major unsolved problem in biology.
What is consciousness? What does it do? Is it limited to humans? Why are so many of our actions unconscious? The answer to these questions will determine the vision we have of ourselves in the future.
In this book, one of the pioneers in the field of consciousness explores the biological foundations of the subjective mind, in animals as well as humans. He presents the model he developed to resolve the issue of the relations between mind and body, and he describes in detail what he calls the neuronal correlates of consciousness, the subtle complex of cerebral activities underlying the operations of the conscious mind.
Drawing upon recent anatomical, physiological, clinical, psychological and even philosophical research, The Quest for Consciousness is a brilliant synthesis of current knowledge about the scientific foundations of our conscious life.
a mine of information, and full of provocative thoughts and insights, but a delight to read and ponder.
Oliver Sacks
the key issues that the biology of the mind will be confronting in the next several decades.
Eric Kandel, Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
Christof Koch is Professor of Cognitive and Behavioural Biology at the California Institute of Technology. He specialises in the study of the biophysics of computation and the neuronal bases of visual perception and attention. In collaboration with the late Francis Crick, he has pioneered the scientific study of consciousness. He was partially educated in French schools.
What is consciousness? What does it do? Is it limited to humans? Why are so many of our actions unconscious? The answer to these questions will determine the vision we have of ourselves in the future.
In this book, one of the pioneers in the field of consciousness explores the biological foundations of the subjective mind, in animals as well as humans. He presents the model he developed to resolve the issue of the relations between mind and body, and he describes in detail what he calls the neuronal correlates of consciousness, the subtle complex of cerebral activities underlying the operations of the conscious mind.
Drawing upon recent anatomical, physiological, clinical, psychological and even philosophical research, The Quest for Consciousness is a brilliant synthesis of current knowledge about the scientific foundations of our conscious life.
a mine of information, and full of provocative thoughts and insights, but a delight to read and ponder.
Oliver Sacks
the key issues that the biology of the mind will be confronting in the next several decades.
Eric Kandel, Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
Christof Koch is Professor of Cognitive and Behavioural Biology at the California Institute of Technology. He specialises in the study of the biophysics of computation and the neuronal bases of visual perception and attention. In collaboration with the late Francis Crick, he has pioneered the scientific study of consciousness. He was partially educated in French schools.