Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist

by Christof Koch

A fascinating exploration of the human brain that combines “the leading edge of consciousness science with surprisingly personal and philosophical reflection . . . shedding light on how scientists really think”—this is “science writing at its best” (Times Higher Education).   In which a scientist searches for an empirical explanation for phenomenal experience, spurred by his instinctual belief that life is meaningful.   What links conscious experience of pain, joy, color, and smell to bioelectrical activity in the brain? How can anything physical give rise to nonphysical, subjective, conscious states? Christof Koch has devoted much of his career to bridging the seemingly unbridgeable gap between the physics of the brain and phenomenal experience. This engaging book—part scientific overview, part memoir, part futurist speculation—describes Koch’s search for an empirical explanation for consciousness. Koch recounts not only the birth of the modern science of consciousness but also the subterranean motivation for his quest—his instinctual (if “romantic”) belief that life is meaningful.   Koch describes his own groundbreaking work with Francis Crick in the 1990s and 2000s and the gradual emergence of consciousness (once considered a “fringy” subject) as a legitimate topic for scientific investigation. Present at this paradigm shift were Koch and a handful of colleagues, including Ned Block, David Chalmers, Stanislas Dehaene, Giulio Tononi, Wolf Singer, and others. Aiding and abetting it were new techniques to listen in on the activity of individual nerve cells, clinical studies, and brain-imaging technologies that allowed safe and noninvasive study of the human brain in action.   Koch gives us stories from the front lines of modern research into the neurobiology of consciousness as well as his own reflections on a variety of topics, including the distinction between attention and awareness, the unconscious, how neurons respond to Homer Simpson, the physics and biology of free will, dogs, Der Ring des Nibelungen, sentient machines, the loss of his belief in a personal God, and sadness. All of them are signposts in the pursuit of his life's work—to uncover the roots of consciousness.

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

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2012

About the author

is an American neuroscientist best known for his work on the neural bases of consciousness. He is the President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. From 1986 until 2013, he was a professor at the California Institute of Technology.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

After receiving the Nobel prize along with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins in 1962 for the elegant description of the structure of our helical molecule, Francis Crick dedicated his life towards the studying of the mind. Although I knew this true genius dedicated his life on this, I haven't got the opportunity to read about his work on consciousness before, so I was really excited when I found this book the other day.

Consciousness is a fascinating memoir, written by Christof Koch, about his research work along with Francis Crick on their quest on understanding what the mind is....on what is consciousness and makes us "human". Koch, also a physicist like Crick and with a minor in philosophy, will give you a fascinating approach on this topic as well as on free will. Can we truly act freely or are we just the result of the predispositions and circumstances of our environment or the culture we were raised by? What does physics have to say about this? Can the computational theory of mind help us to understand our "qualia"? Do animals have consciousness? Does the cortico-thalamic system has the answer? You will find a little of this along your reading.

Many of us, rely on science and philosophy in order to look for answers of the many questions our curiosity can give us, and this is what this memoir is about. So I really enjoy when I find a scientist that tries to give answers from many different approaches. In this case, our consciousness from a physics, philosophical and neurobiological perspective for only one true answer. I found Koch as an honest writer, who besides talking about his research talks openly about his loss in religious belief due to a maturity in seeing the world as it is along with being incompatible with scientific explanations. A naturalist scientific in whom I also noticed a touch of existentialism and a great sense of wonder. I like and agree with Koch expressing: "There is no reason why we should not ultimately understand how the phenomenal mind fits into the physical world".

Well, even if we find a reductionist molecular answer to this great riddle of the mind, will humans ever settle with this explanations or will we always be in the need something more?

I also perceived the same Crick that I've read many times and that James Watson also describes, open to new and radical explanations but always consistent with established and verifiable facts. It was funny to see that he referred to automatisms as zombie agents! It was a true delight for me to read about the research of this pair of geniuses and their friendship all the way to Crick's death.

I'll close with my favorite Francis Crick quote: “There is no scientific study more vital to man than the study of his own brain. Our entire view of the universe depends on it.”

A short memoir, that I really liked!

[Katia N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christof Koch is neuroscientist and biophysicist, He started his career in the US working with Francis Crick who was interested in the study of the brain at the late part of his life. Since then Koch has firmly specialised in the problems of consciousness. This book is combination of the developments in the related areas of the research with his personal memoirs focused on his professional, personal and religious metamorphoses. This combination makes the book quite special, imho.

In the book, Koch summarises the experiments he and his colleagues carried out to locate the relevant neuro-correlates between the parts of the brain and the consciousness. He also talks a bit about the potential role of the unconscious. He is vivid supporter of the Integrated Information Theory (IIT). But
ITT does not take much space in this book. The most controversial for a scientist, he seems to believe that the consciousness is fundamentally different and irreducible to a matter. Which is basically panpsychism in some form. It is very interesting and accessible book.

The book has been written in 2014. Since them the world has moved on a bit. And Koch has got a new book on the similar subject minus personal stuff. The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread But Can't Be Computed. So if you are more interested in the ITT and the related subject matter, that book is probably better. This one would be interesting for those who want to trace an evolution of the views of an individual scientist. I enjoyed it.

[Jafar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a neuroscientist who wrote The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach, trying to explain how brain can give rise to consciousness. It doesn't look like he's even managed to convince himself. While you can always find a "neural correlate" for any sensory or mental or emotional experience, it's still a puzzle how neural and synaptic activities result in subjective conscious experiences. It's what philosophers refer to as the Hard Problem. Invoking an ethereal soul to explain this is not only unscientific, it actually creates more problems than it solves.

Koch spends the first half of the book summarizing the present state of research on consciousness. He then proceeds to propose a solution for the Hard Problem, admitting that he's throwing caution to the wind. He postulates that consciousness is a fundamental and elementary property of organized matter. It doesn't rise from anything, in the same manner that the electric charge of a particle is its intrinsic property and doesn't emerge from anything else. There's nothing special about human brain. Anyone would agree that although dogs can't compose symphonies or play chess, they're sentient beings. As you go down the complexity ladder, there's no clear point where to stop and proclaim the absence of consciousness. Nor is there anything especial with organic matter and what we call living systems. Consciousness is the property of any systems with interacting parts. The larger and more highly networked the system, the greater the degree of consciousness. Is the Internet conscious? Who knows! Is the universe, in its entirety, a self-conscious being? Who knows! Koch tries to provide some justification for this solution based on the integrated information theory and even proposes ways of how his hypothesis can be tested.

Basically, instead of providing a solution for the Hard Problem, it seems to me that Koch is cleverly erasing the problem. Can't explain how matter gives rise to consciousness? Say it's its intrinsic property. He may well be right. Who knows. But we're still far away from solving this problem.

[India M. Clamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

One cannot mention Koch without including Francis Crick---as they go together like Matzo and ball. Though too many to name here, the accolades of this author would fill a twelve-page CV. In brief, Koch taught at California Institute of Technology and elegantly vibrates our silvery web like tangle of the mind with the question, what is consciousness? He equates the brain to a psychic experience having a plus or minus one charge.

“Midway in the journey of our life
I came to myself in a dark wood,
For the straight way was lost.”
---Dante Alighieri

Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist is a velvety warm read. Understanding “from nothing comes nothing” is something familiar to our senses. Koch jumps with us into the “schwarz” void and we probe the riddle of our existence. For example, in a brain existing without a cerebellum, why are there so few cognitive defects like: ataxia, unsteady gait or slurred speech? Should there be more?

Engaging read, imparting a latte art cappuccino-like experience feeling superb as the caffeine slowly permeated my being and injected bright color into my “bête noire” microcosm. Life in its complexity we may come to find is an unrelenting quest of survival acting as an engine propelling evolution forward. Must read for erudition hungry physics, medical and philosophy devotees. Read, ponder and deduce!

[Kelly Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christoph Koch is one of the leading scientists studying consciousness at a fundamental level. He has studied under the brilliant Francis Crick, is the lead scientist at the Allen Brain Institute in Seattle, and teaches at Cal Tech. A large portion of the book deals with the theory of a colleague of Koch's named Guilio Tononi. Tononi holds that consciousness is integrated information, a measurable property of causal systems that may exist in both biological and non-biological systems, e.g. computers. This view is interesting for a variety of reasons, but I think two of the things that stood out to me about it were its similarity to panpsychism and its invocation of Platonism. Oddly enough, Koch is very dismissive of philosophers throughout the book, despite being well-versed in the tradition and a huge fan of Descartes. He thinks Chalmer's skepticism about ever being able to resolve the Hard Problem of Consciousness is typical of philosophers overstepping their bounds and limiting science's abilities. There are many interesting autobiographical elements to this book, including some heavy-duty existential reflection. Koch's willingness to speak to issues of religion and his personal faith history were welcome alternatives to most scientists' summary dismissal of all things spiritual. My biggest beefs with this book were his failure to articulate HOW integrated information JUST IS consciousness (i.e. how does it bridge the first-person/third-person divide?) and his sometimes scattered and incoherent thoughts on religion. Overall, one of the best books about consciousness I have encountered, and sure to be a classic.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it very much. Some of it was very entertaining. In a few places, I just felt lost. An excellent discussion of free will, however, and that's a difficult topic. I'll probably reread that chapter.

My favorite paragraph:

"If we honestly seek a single, rational, and intellectually consistent view of the cosmos and everything iin it, we must abandon the classical view of the immortal soul. It is a view that is deeply embedded in our culture; it suffuses our songs, novels, movies, great buildings, public discourse, and our myths. Science has brought us to the end of our childhood. Growing up is unsettling to many people, and unbearable to a few, but we must learn to see the world as it is and not as we want it to be. Once we free ourselves of magical thinking we have a chance of comprehending how we fit into this unfolding universe." - p. 152.

And this should be a poster:

"No matter, never mind."

[Richard Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Another not very good brain book. The idea that integrated information theory might be a road into a deeper understanding of consciousness has some promise, but it was not well formed enough to convince me that it is definitely the way to go. The rest of it has been said better in other books. For speculation about consciousness, I prefer Daniel Dennett.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very hard to categorise or summarise this book. It works as an introduction to the field of neuroscience - particularly to the concepts involved, as opposed to this-bit-of-brain-then-that-bit-of-brain - it also has elements of speculative science; memoir and philosophy. Perhaps most affectingly, however, it is a surprisingly emotional grappling from a man who knows than almost everyone about how the brain works, yet loses himself in grief and guilt just the same. A man who understands how far we are from understanding why we do what we do, and how this rich internal life of ours, well, *is*.
Which is not to be confused with a religious or spiritual approach that says this is unknowable. If Koch's book is a hero's journey towards specific knowledge, it doesn't conclude with defeat, but with the optimistic note that gradual enquiry reveals truths and understandings, even if it falls short of "Life, the Universe and Everything" answers. (Koch provides a splendid side-swipe at M-Theory here, managing to make it look petty and small - the attempt to have a solution at any cost, when we just aren't there yet).
It's very short this book, but in the end it packed a real punch and will be one of those which come back and cycle around in my head.

[Joseph Siegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapters 6,7,8 are five-star material. The book is too full of things like this: "in 1995, Francis and I published a manuscript in the international journal Nature...(Having your article appear in Nature is like having the premier gallery in New York or Paris display your art; it's a big deal.)" In the chapters not numbered 6,7, or 8, these punchable offenses so outweigh anything of note that I only can selectively recommend the book. I was looking for Ernst Mayr, and I got a middle-aged dude still trying to impress everyone by his career, his mountain climbing, his friends, and his ability to turn "clever" phrases. He does refer once each to Heraclitus and Thales, however, so I would definitely treat him to a reasonable lunch.

[Ian Beardsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophers, theologians, and scientists have debated the questions of human consciousness for a very long time. What is the difference between my brain and my mind? Are my thoughts simply epiphenomena arising glibly from the chemical soup of the grey matter behind my skull walls, or do they spring divinely from my eternal soul or from some sort of ethereal akashic records?

These are daunting issues, but Christof Koch is well-qualified to tackle them as a scientist who worked alongside one of the biggest names in neurology and consciousness studies--indeed all of biology--Francis Crick of DNA double-helix fame.

Koch's approach is very readable, almost conversational. Although much of the scientific nitty-gritty was above my crude, rudimentary level of biochemical and neurological understanding, his book takes an approach, as the subtitle indicates, as a confessional of a romantic reductionist. Born into a devout Catholic household, he struggled at times to put aside the romantic notions of mind and soul from the hard-data and empirical results that the reductionist scientific community was building upon after the middle of the 20th Century. The book makes for a read that is part autobiography, part history, part philosophy, and part scientific journal; an eclectic mix for sure, but one that worked well for me.

Although I would have really liked to also see some discussion around puzzles such as out-of-body and near death experiences, which I believe stretch the connection between brain material and consciousness to the maximum, I feel that Koch puts together a pretty good argument that science is slowly but surely getting us closer to a more accurate understanding of what consciousness is and how it works. Let's face it, though...we have a long, long way to go, as science has only just started assembling the edge pieces of this puzzle.

The parts about information theory, information integration, and optogenetics were really interesting. I've always been skeptical of engineers and scientists who simply tout the speed and large memory of a computer switchbox as something approaching artificial intelligence and ultimately the "singularity of consciousness". Well, size is not everything. Koch explains the work of Giulio Tononi, which centers around the idea that the degree of consciousness (of a human, or a dog, or mouse, or even a computer network) depends upon the interlinking integration of the information itself.

...the quantity of conscious experience generated by any physical system in a particular state is equal to the amount of integrated information generated by the system in that state above and beyond the information generated by its parts. The system must discriminate among a large repertoire of states (differentiation), and it must do so as part of a unified whole, one that can't be decomposed into a collection of causally independent parts (integration).

I heartily recommend this for readers with a reasonable background in basic science interested in the ancient puzzle of mind over matter and who don't mind dipping into personal anecdote and thoughtful commentary. They should find this an interesting and entertaining read in a daunting subject.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book because of my connection to the Allen Institute. This is more of an autobiography and memoir than actual details about his integrated information theory and his vision for the future. Koch admits he has a flamboyant personality and that certainly shows in his writing, which makes the book interesting to read, but sometimes hard to decode. He covers many popular neuroscience discoveries (like Jennifer Aniston neurons and the Libet experiments) that may be a boring review for people already familiar with neuroscience & philosophy. If you've already Sam Harris's brief book Free Will, or read How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil, many of the ideas of determinism vs. libertarian compatibilism and panpsychism are echoed. The meat of the book is towards the last few chapters where he briefly discusses integrated information theory, free will, and religion. I would recommend this book more for a lay audience that is less familiar with neuroscience and also interested Christof's autobiography.

[Eduardo Camps Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un breve recorrido por ciertos experimentos que han probado lo que ya se veía venir jajaja: que la consciencia, pese a ser la mayor herramienta de la humanidad, está supeditada a un segundo plano de la acción, abriendo incluso un debate sobre el libre albedrío. Expone algunas teorías para dar lugar a la consciencia (metiéndose en terreno fangoso al hablar de la mecánica cuántica y que me parece un completo disparate para justificar la libertad [quizás éste uno de las teorías más paupérrimas de la neurología moderna]) y al final expone la suya propia: la teoría de la información integrada.
Basada en la teoría de la información (razón por la que me animé a leer el libro, pues es una de las áreas por las que me muevo en matemáticas) propone una medida que denota por Φ y que llamaré aquí integración de la información del sistema, y aunque en el libro no da explícitamente cómo calcularla, expone que es la medida en que el sistema (en este caso, el cerebro) integra la información, es decir, cuánto depende la imagen integrada de todos los pedazos de información recibida y cuán enlazada está esta entre sus diferentes partes. Como ejemplo, expone uno que me parece bastante claro: en un disco duro, cientos y cientos de megas de información está clasificada (fotos, imágenes, música, por fecha, por nombre, por tamaño) pero entre cada foto y cada canción no hay nada que las enlace, son pedazos de información aislada y por lo tanto su Φ es baja. Conforme el sistema va generando enlaces más fuertes (por ejemplo, cuando le enseñamos a reconocer ciertos patrones y ahora es capaz de englobar conceptos), Φ aumenta.
Pero el hecho de que Φ sea descrita en términos de un sistema cualquiera, implica que podemos dotar de cierto grado de consciencia a casi cualquier cosa: personas, perros, computadoras, robots, etcétera.
No creo que la teoría de la información integrada resuelva el problema de por qué existe la consciencia, creo que en el mejor de los casos se aproxima nomás a una definición de qué es, y eso, cuando por consciencia nos referimos a la imagen que el cerebro genera de la realidad. Pero éste también es precisamente su punto más fuerte.
Es bonita porque es holística, no pretende limitar a la consciencia a algún lugar del cerebro o algún organelo cualquiera, sino habla de él como un todo. Es descriptible matemáticamente: Koch se atreve a más y describe los conceptos como politopos (que él llama cristales) que se forman a través de las conexiones neuronales: muy mecánica la cosa, pero consistente con las redes neuronales. Más aún, Φ entonces parece el resultado natural de la evolución y la conclusión de que cerebros más complejos generan sistemas más integrados, por lo tanto con Φ más grande, ergo más conscientes. Esto palea el asunto de por qué dividir el cerebro no 'desconscientiza' al individuo, pero el desmayo o a veces cierto grado del sueño, sí lo logra: el sistema rompe sus conexiones, 'desintegra' parte de la información, Φ baja, entonces la inconsciencia.
Más aún, dado que no es entonces una medida propia de la humanidad, por fin existiría un nivel para comparar la consciencia entre los animales y probar lo mucho que éstos pueden estar conscientes: particularmente, si fuera fácil de calcular, sospecho que los bonobos demostrarían apenas diferencia con nosotros. Pero dado que no sólo se limita a seres vivos, podríamos medir 'la consciencia' del internet o los autómatas, explicando por qué toman 'decisiones' que parecerían fuera de su programación.
Además sólo termina de destrozar la idea de que el ser puede trascender con conocimiento: muerto el cerebro, desintegrado el sistema, la consciencia deja de existir. Si existe algo trascendente, un ser metafísico, éste pasará por las vidas sin recordar nada, sin conocer nada, sin ser consciente de sí.
Si interpretásemos a la naturaleza por ejemplo, como un sistema de información dada por los individuos y sus interacciones, o las especies y sus relaciones y tomáramos la medida Φ quizás nos sorprenderíamos con un valor elevado: esto explicaría por qué antropomorfizamos a la naturaleza y su curso y, dada esta relación, quizás podríamos darle a la biología un impulso hacia el área de los porqués y no sólo dejarla en el área de los paraqués. La única diferencia sería, que quizás la naturaleza no se percibe a sí misma, despojándola de voluntad (al menos, como nosotros la concebimos). Aunque esto ya está en el ámbito de la especulación exagerada, sin embargo está motivada por mi emoción al hallar en este libro a Teilhard y su teoría del panpsiquisimo. Dejo la cita:
«Su [de Teilhard] ley de complejificación propone que la matería tiene un impulso inherente de agruparse en cada vez grupos más complejos. Esta complejidad implica la consciencia. Teilhard era muy explícito sobre su panpsiquismo:
"Estamos lógicamente forzados a asumir una forma rudimentaria de alguna psique en cada corpúsculo, incluso en aquellos (las mega moléculas y por debajo) cuya complejidad es tan baja o de un orden tan modesto como para hacer la psique perceptible".
Teilhard no se detuvo con las moléculas. El ascenco del espíritu continúa. Esta forma primitiva de consciencia se convierte en una más desarrollada en animales por la fuerza de la selección natural. En los humanos, la consciencia se vuelca sobre sí misma, dando paso a la auto-consciencia. Es en este contexto que Julian Huxley dice que 'la evolución no es sino la materia volviéndose consciente de ella misma'»...
... y ésta me parece una idea preciosa.

[Anagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.
-Rene Descartes


The subject of the book is an age old conundrum that has preoccupied scientists,philosophers and mystics alike for over many millenia- How does the water of biological tissue become the wine of conscious perception? How can the inanimate rumblings of neurons cause feelings as diverse as love, fear, anger or existential angst? Do lower life forms possess that same apparatus as us to perceive love, loss and suffering? If so( if we are to believe Koch), what are the implications on our conduct towards them ?

Early on in the book, Koch desists from overemphasising a rigid definition of consciousness, arguing in favour of a loose interpretation derived from commonplace and clinical experience. Along the way he takes great care in pointing out the distinction between attention and consciousness- a frequent bone of contention in academic circles. The authors love for philosophy is not lost on the reader as he masterfully traces the philosophical underpinnings of consciousness from Aristotle to Nietzsche and Wittgenstein. Koch gives a blueprint for a rigorous theory based on the solid foundations of Shannon’s information theory- the so called Integrated information theory. To quote Koch 'Even if it(IIT) turns out to be wrong, it will be wrong in interesting ways that illuminate the problem.'

Despite the ancient origins of the problem, most serious progress has occurred only in the recent past. Armed with gizmos like fMRIs, EEG and much recent still-optogenetics, neuroscientists are taking definitive steps in the right direction. The book is replete with topical case studies as well as classic experiments like the famous readiness potential experiments pioneered by Benjamin Libet. As such, the book is worth a dekko for the serious practitioner as well.

Koch does well in firmly extricating the study of consciousness from the realm of new age charlatans(Deepak Chopra ?) and cults and places it squarely in the domain of science- so that serious researchers can take a whack at it without losing credibility. Ever since the grand success of quantum mechanics and evolutionary biology, religion has been in constant retreat. In some ways, the mystery of consciousness is the last bastion where religions of all shapes and stripes have sought refuge from the onslaught of science.

Along the way the book provides the reader with interesting snippets about the life of a scientist working at the forefronts. It paints a charming picture of the relationship between a celebrated mentor and his famous acolyte. Koch poignantly captures the trials and tribulations concomitant with a crisis of faith. What stands out throughout the book is the extraordinary courage the pursual of a problem exacts from the scientist. Written in the finest traditions of modern science writing, it gets my unequivocal approval !

[Sabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is oozing personality.

This is the most daring science book I've read since Max Tegmark's Our Mathematical Universe. Yet Koch seems a man with a lot on his heart and little time.

It is a short tour de force through the scientific understanding of consciousness, a succinct presentation of his preferred hypothesis and how he plans to test it, and a brief confession about his motivations and beliefs for the future of consciousness, all in the form of confessional writing. Yup, it's a pretty short book, which covers a lot of ground and has little patience for introductions.

His presentation of the current state of the science cites a lot of scientific work and gives solid examples, but does not go into detail about them, expecting the reader to look for the sources on his/her own. I, for one, am glad to have read other books which go into more detail about the cited experiments and conclusions, but for the purpose of this book the information provided is enough to convey the point. Of course there's no need to trust the author's conclusions to these experiments, but for my part I found them entirely accurate. The best part about this approach is that it doesn't allow the reader with a short attention span to get bored.

The theory he explains is a very interesting one, and without him going into the mathematics behind the theory (must consult the sources, again) it seems very plausible. As he explains it, the amount by which the number of possible different states of a system is greater than the sum of the different states of the systems of which it is made up is the quantifiable consciousness of the system. Leaving combinatorial mathematics aside, this allows him to postulate consciousness' existence apart from physical causes. Consciousness is born out of the relationships between elements of a system, out of mathematics, so basically out of nothing. And I'm ok with that. If the theory is right, consciousness becomes just another property of the universe which can be accounted for.

I felt the last chapter to be too personal and with very little to add to the book, but it does not diminish the rest of the book in the least. I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who raises an eyebrow when confronted with the big How and Why questions: how and why do we transform sensations into phenomenal experiences.

[Shafaat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was interested in this book because the title seemed appealing. I basically wanted to know the author's take on the 'Hard problem' of consciousness. Here, I was satisfied. Although a through reductionist, Koch admits the 'limit of reductionism' and claims that consciousness is something fundamentally different from matter and can never be fully reduced to matter. His attempt to gap the bridge between mind and matter is 'Integrated information theory', which is sort of a metaphysical theory with sufficient mathematical formulation, but still has a long way to go.

A major part of the book was a memoir. Koch worked with Francis Crick, who seemed like an amazing character to me. All in all, I enjoyed the book very much.

[Ishaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best reads in recent months. It covers thoughts about my favorite topic for lifetime: consciousness and the Brain!
The author gives a detailed view of how science has approached the problem, what theories are on plate. He also covers metaphysical aspects as well as a little bit of religious viewpoints. One of the most interesting parts was how quantum mechanics can change the way we consider free will or determinism in terms of human nature.
For a seeker about the human nature, this is a must read.

[jennifer]

Wow. What a rich, heady read! I appreciated how humble and down-to-earth Koch was throughout, emphasizing that we don't have all the answers (yet!). The most meaningful revelation was in the final chapter, which reminded me that having the capacity to contemplate humanity does not spare me from being one.

[Tavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never expected Eminem, Harry Potter, quantum mechanics, God, free will and multiverses to be mentioned in the same book.

Although the author mentions that it isn't only a book about consciousness but more like a short memoir of his work, he touches various interesting and deep topics, while keeping himself always centered in the main topic.

Even the times he went slightly off topic, were also the times were he shows how knowledgeable he is in other areas of science.

Easy to follow and good pace.

[Kunal Sen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another intriguing approach to explain consciousness as a physical phenomenon, and dismissal of the idea of a mind-body duality, or the idea of classical free-will. The only thing I found abrupt was the unjustified connection between quantum mechanics and unpredictability of many brain and other biological phenomenon. There are far more macroscopic ways to explain unpredictability based on regular chaos theory. Most biological systems are complex enough to display chaotic non-linear behavior, and quantum behavior is an unnecessary complication, which can be true, but not particularly needed to explain the observed facts.

[David Wiik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this :)

A great book that that does not contain that sort of self-indulgent Saganesque natural prose, despite its generic title.

Neuroscience has re-paradigmed consciousness research, snatching it from rationalistic philosophers.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful book brimming with fascinating insights into the author's quest to understand consciousness. Brilliant stuff, well-written and captivating. Loved it.

[Tapio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read. Koch makes clear that what he is writing is also something like a memoir, and indeed he is not always very informative. Flows easily and is somewhat rewarding, which makes for 4/5.

[Contadino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arguing my way through the book, awesome biased summary.

[Nia Nymue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer is a passionate empiricist who strongly believes that the Hard Problem of Consciousness can be resolved through scientific means. He doesn't actually say how in this book, but he emphasises this belief several times.

The text is very easy to read and is peppered with the right amount of geeky humour that most people would appreciate. It's also well-structured and can be read even by those without any background knowledge in philosophy. One possible drawback to the book is the inclusion of some sentimental parts. The last chapter is entirely unnecessary for anyone reading this book purely for academic purposes.

A new thing I did learn from this book was Giulio Tononi's Integrated Information Theory and how it can be used to detect consciousness. The writer then justified panpsychism on empirical grounds.

[Derek Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Koch presents a lot of solid scientific material here, the real heart of the book is the man himself and his outlooks on a series of questions that have haunted much of the history of philosophy and, more recently, science: What is consciousness, how does it work, does it require a spiritual explanation and presence or is it a mechanical construct of the human brain?

Koch, as a scientist of the modern age, not surprisingly leans heavily toward the idea that consciousness can emerge from the peculiar type of complexity in the brain – indeed, that it would necessarily arise with any such construct, organic or otherwise. He also believes that all living things have some degree of "consciousness" in a more nebulous sense than we normally think of it Yet, as the "romantic" limitation indicates, he's not fully sure that there isn't "something else" involved. As he straightforwardly admits, only time will tell, and he exuberantly hopes that time will come in his lifetime.

Like others of the Germanic mob involved in brain and consciousness study, earlier and later (Freud, Jung, Eric Kandel and others), he does get a bit obsessed with "will," "free" and otherwise. Of course, Goethe, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche have to make an appearance, but they don't get in the way, really. Koch is a likable, fair-minded man who only occasionally – and with good reason – goes on mild tears against rank stupidity. And his reverence for Francis Crick, with whom he spent many a speculative and productive hour, is both touching and enlightening.

It's a fun read and a delightful look into a particular – and particularly – conscious brain.

[David Soltysik · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I attended the Human Brain Mapping conference this year, I saw a man wearing red pants and a purple vest. I thought, what a character. He was later introduced as Christof Koch, a German-accented man with a flair to be different and the author of the book on consciousness I had recently began. Koch does a good job of introducing many concepts related to the study of consciousness, but this book is more autobiographical than didactic. I found his prose surprisingly but refreshingly honest. Science is not discovered as neatly as it is written in textbooks, and Christof's account of his career in plumbing the depths of consciousness does not make that mistake. That said, many of the concepts he introduces will be familiar to the avid science reader, so this book may be better aimed at the novice science reader. Still, I found it an enjoyable read.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christof Koch is one of the leading researchers in consciousness, so I was expecting a lot more details, particularly on the neuroscience behind consciousness.

Instead, this book is pretty general and rather short on details.

There are some descriptions of neuroscience experiments, but not enough meat for my taste.

Of course, maybe I wasn't the target audience. If you haven't read any other books on these topics then perhaps you'll like this one.

But personally I recommend the following books which treat similar material.

"The Deep History of Ourselves", Joseph LeDoux, 2019
"Connectome", Sebastian Seung, 2012

[Danish Pastry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting introduction to consciousness research. This was the first book I read on the topic and the philosophical implications and ideas it spurred in me were really pivotal in my view of qualia. I also enjoyed the more biographical parts of the book. His more recent book does a better job of approaching the technical issue at hand methodically, but this book was good at sparking an interest and underscoring important considerations in the field. Also i read it on kindle, which i didnt really enjoy but appreciated the highlighting and note-taking capabilities.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully tragic in his personal life in belief and personal failings. Christof's perserverance in his philosophical and scentific quest for knowledge is worth admiring and given credit to. He has illuminated life's biggest questions on consciousness and with it, the inevitable slayer of that spark. A good insightful read.

[Arno Mosikyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Humanity is not condemned to wander forever in an epistemological fog, knowing only the surface appearance of things but never their true nature.”