Consciousness: A Ladybird Expert Book

Ladybird Expert #13

by Hannah Critchlow

A Ladybird Expert Book

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

300 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2018

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The question: What is Consciousness is such a difficult one to answer. We know that we are conscious, but are other animals conscious too? What about plants, or forests and other ecosystems? But the more you think about it opens up wider questions, can we absorb the consciousness of other people? Can machines gain consciousness too?

In this short book, Hannah Critchlow sets about answering some of these questions and summing up some of the latest thoughts on how our brains work but perceiving and responding to the world around us.

I love the format of these little expert guides. It harks back to the books I used to read as a child and remember fondly. These have a difference though, they are concise books with detailed information written by experts and are a brief introduction to some complex science. Great little books for the budding scientist and those that want to read up on an unknown subject.

[Andrea Rothman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critchlow does a fabulous job explaining the basics of consciousness, its essence, and how it shapes our subjective sense of reality and possibly that of other species on the planet. In sharp and lucid prose she unravels and makes accessible to the reader what is fundamentally a complex problem. The book is also succinct, and has beautiful illustrations.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it as an introduction to Consciousness overall - which the book pretty much does on its own very well. Scientific questions about consciousness and critical thoughts on that topic.
Good book for beginners, but maybe too shallow for people who know what they're talking about.

[Sal Leggio · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting in spots, but too simple

[Maj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting themes — unfortunately the book is cut extremely short… I would have liked many more examples for each chapter. That would have brought more diversity and differentiation to the ways each living thing puts its resources into use to reach maximum benefit. ;-)

[Hannah Critchlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I utterly enjoyed researching and writing it, a definite 5* experience from me for that :-)