Consciousness Demystified

by Todd E. Feinberg, Jon M. Mallatt

Demystifying consciousness: how subjective experience can be explained by natural brain and evolutionary processes.

Consciousness is often considered a mystery. How can the seemingly immaterial experience of consciousness be explained by the material neurons of the brain? There seems to be an unbridgeable gap between understanding the brain as an objectively observed biological organ and accounting for the subjective experiences that come from the brain (and life processes). In this book, Todd Feinberg and Jon Mallatt attempt to demystify consciousness—to naturalize it, by explaining that the subjective, experiencing aspects of consciousness are created by natural brain processes that evolved in natural ways. Although subjective experience is unique in nature, they argue, it is not necessarily mysterious. We need not invoke the unknown or unknowable to explain its creation.

Feinberg and Mallatt flesh out their theory of neurobiological naturalism (after John Searle's biological naturalism) that recognizes the many features that brains share with other living things, lists the neural features unique to conscious brains, and explains the subjective–objective barrier naturally. They investigate common neural features among the diverse groups of animals that have primary consciousness—the type of consciousness that experiences both sensations received from the world and affects such as emotions. They map the evolutionary development of consciousness and find an uninterrupted progression over time, without inserting any mysterious forces or exotic physics. Finally, bridging the previously unbridgeable, they show how subjective experience, although different from objective observation, can be naturally explained.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Brain, Biology

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2018

Reviews

[batuhan_a_kocak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really like it. The claims of the book were very extravagant but I think the arguments were not supported.

They divide consciousness into three parts: exteroceptive (awareness of surroundings), affective (awareness of emotions) and the intermediate interoceptive (awareness of viscerak sensations). They have one chapter each for exteroceptive and affective consciousness but gloss over interoceptive consciousness. They identify different neural structures for exteroceptive consciousness in different vertebrates but do not explain why and how this difference could come to be.

There is an unexplained assumption that binding different stimulus features leads to consciousness. Both the exteroceptive and affective consciousness criteria carry this underlying assumption. I'm not saying this assumption is wrong. However, it is unexplained, unmentioned and not supported by data. And we can see from visual agnosia patients not binding features into coherent wholes do not lead to unconsciousness but of course, our definitions of binding can be different. I can't know this because they didn't explain why they treated bound features as consciously perceived

[Scott Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very quick read considering the complexity of the subject matter. The authors are fleshing out their theory of neurobiological naturalism which is basically stating that consciousness can be described in a natural way. No need for mysteriousness, the 'hard problem', or 'emergence'. I think their explanation of the subjective-objective barrier could use a little more fleshing out. I enjoyed the timeline of consciousness and the possible history from the fossil record. There seems to me to be a lot of deducing and inferring to arrive at their conclusions but, overall, do a good job of realizing where weak points exist.

[Mooncalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Quite similar to their last book, the Ancient Origins of Consciousness, but present some of their updated thoughts on particular issues and fleshes out their theory of consciousness more.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feinberg & Mallet demythologize consciousness. They use mystifyingly clear prose and conceptual frameworking for such a complex process. Unfortunately (for the pious), their work makes the soul redundant. And unfortunately (for some philosophers), their work makes the hard problem no problem.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does not get better than this. Short, sweet, clear. Should be on the 100 books every undergrad reads before they get to college lists.