Consciousness Explained (original 1991; edition 1991)

by Daniel C. Dennett

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2,901	37	4,836	(3.88)	27
Advances a new theory of consciousness based on insights gleaned from the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence, and clears away obsolete myths about the process of thinking in conscious beings.

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Member:	Nathan_Zimmerman
Title:	Consciousness Explained
Authors:	Daniel C. Dennett
Info:	Back Bay Books (1991), Paperback
Collections:	Your library
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Tags:	Philosophy

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Consciousness Explained by Daniel C. Dennett (1991)

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Whether or not you agree with Dennet, this is one of the most satisfying philosophical romps across the land of consciousness investigation. His detailed thinking that often requires focused complete attention, and other less
often heard stories from many connected fields, blend into a book that is somewhete between an academic study synthesis of his work and an accessible popular science book.

I was transformed in my detailed view, would want to reread this with even more attention. (

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yates9 | Feb 28, 2024 |

As I blithely leave a three-star review for this book, it occurs to me that I ought to explain my reasons for doing so. Over the years, I inferred that this is a book for the common reader; when it comes to the broad and frequently abstruse topic the book explores, I am most certainly a common reader. Unfortunately, this book appears to be addressed to people who have some background in its topic. It is not necessarily a book for specialists, but I could see how this would be an appropriate text for a survey course in a number of undergraduate courses on the science of the human mind. I confess that I didn't understand much of the book, but stuck with it anyway. which leads to my highly subjective, arguably erroneous assessment of it. If nothing else, Mr. Dennett is an engaging stylist with a gift for rendering complex ideas in relatively basic similes without trivializing them. What I endeavor to say, I guess, is that I am not really qualified to comment on this apparently well-regarded book.

Mark_Feltskog | Dec 23, 2023 |

Yes we have a soul, it is made of thousands of tiny robots. (

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markm2315 | Jul 1, 2023 |

A fine book. Dennett's a creative and funny writer, and I think the book holds up well. There were a few parts I didn't quite get, but overall I felt like I could keep up with him. It helped that I've read some other of his stuff before, and some other related works. Of course "Explained" is a bit of a stretch, but I thought it was a good try. (

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steve02476 | Jan 3, 2023 |

One of the seminal texts on the nature of consciousness, this a serious work of philosophy that can be understood by the general reader. Whether discussing the Cartesian dilemma or the theories of phenomenology Dennett delivers complicated concepts in a clear manner. The book is divided into three parts covering methods, the empirical theory of consciousness and philosophical issues. I enjoyed his ability to make difficult ideas accessible. (

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jwhenderson | Dec 30, 2022 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Dennett, Daniel C.	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Weiner, Paul	Illustrator	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Maas, Ton	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Smeets, Frits	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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Is abridged in

The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins

▾Awards and Honors

Distinctions

The New York Times Best Books of the Year (1991)

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5 книг Постнауки (5 книг об аналитической философии сознания)

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Canonical title

Consciousness Explained

Original title

Consciousness Explained

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1991

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Epigraph

Dedication

For Nick, Marcel, and Ray

First words

(preface)
My first year in college, I read Descartes’s Meditations and was hooked on the mind-body problem.

(chapter 1)
Suppose evil scientists removed your brain from your body while you slept, and set it up in a life-support system in a vat.

Quotations

The idea of the possibility of such “inverted qualia” is one of philosophy’s most virulent memes.

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

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Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (7)

Cartesian materialism

Cartesian theater

Color phi phenomenon

Intuition pump

Neuroscience of free will

Philosophy of artificial intelligence

Philosophy of mind

▾Book descriptions

Advances a new theory of consciousness based on insights gleaned from the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence, and clears away obsolete myths about the process of thinking in conscious beings.

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Book description

'Het is een genot om deze man re lezen en van hem te leren.' PIET VROON - D± GROENE AMSTERDAMMER
Door de opkomst van kunstmatige intelligentie is de belangstelling voor het bewustzijn weer toegenomen. Het bewustzijn is immers wat de mens van de computer onderscheidt. Danicl C. Denneet levert in Hel bewustzijn rerklaard een strijdbare en vernieuwende bijdrage aan de discussie over wat het bewustzijn eigenlijk is, liij vat het bewustzijn op als een zichzelf organiserend stelsel van regels waaraan ons brein is onderworpen.
'Niet alleen Dennetts betoog, maar ook de wijze waarop hij het voert,
verdient met aandacht te worden gevolgd.'
JAAP VAN HEERDEN - VRIJ NEDERLAND ISBN
'Zijn opus magnum. De verschillende draden van zijn werk komen hier bijeen.' NEDERLANDS TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR DE PSYCHOLÜGLE

De auteur, hoogleraar aan het Centrum voor Cognitieve Studies van de Tufts Universiteit in de USA, geeft in dit boek zijn ideeën weer over de organisatie van het bewustzijn. Het boek is een bijdrage aan de discussie over het bewustzijn en bespreekt het bewustzijn vanuit zowel natuurwetenschappelijke als filosofische optiek. Teneinde deze dualistische aanpak te onderstrepen geeft hij twee bijlagen: één voor filosofen en één voor wetenschappers. Het boek heeft een notenapparaat, een uitgebreide biografie en een register. De afbeeldingen zijn in zwart-wit en geven een goede ondersteuning van de tekst. De kern van de hypothese over het bewustzijn is, dat de auteur het opvat als een zichzelf organiserend stelsel van regels, waaraan onze hersenen zijn onderworpen. Hoewel het boek, gezien de opmerkingen op de achterkaft, geschikt is voor zowel de vakman als de leek, lijkt het voor de leek toch veel te moeilijk, als het gaat om de interpretatie van achtergrondinformatie.

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