The Crucible of Consciousness: An Integrated Theory of Mind and Brain
by Zoltan Torey
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This text is an interdisciplinary examination of the evolutionary breakthroughs that rendered the brain accessible to itself.Tags
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Torey argues strongly that the mind is made only of matter, the brain's self-reflective ability to process experience. He then argues that self-conscious matter is the second major step in the universe's unfolding, the first being the separation of matter from energy. He speculates the consciousness will play a part in the final destinty of the universe.
I am surprised that Torey criticises Teilhard de Chardin out of hand, and being simply an 'animist', someone who claims there is more to mind than matter.
I believe this book is a little of date (Oxford published it in 1999), but it is clear, helpful and hopeful for one who claims that Christianity is compatible with materialistic evolution.
I am surprised that Torey criticises Teilhard de Chardin out of hand, and being simply an 'animist', someone who claims there is more to mind than matter.
I believe this book is a little of date (Oxford published it in 1999), but it is clear, helpful and hopeful for one who claims that Christianity is compatible with materialistic evolution.
It's now available as an ebook on the MIT press portal http://mitpress-ebooks.mit.edu/product/crucible-consciousness
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- Original title
- The Crucible of Consciousness: A Personal Exploration of the Conscious Mind
- Alternate titles
- The Crucible of Consciousness: An Integrated Theory of Mind and Brain
- Original publication date
- 1999
- Epigraph
- Michelangelo, . . . when asked how in the world he is able to fashion a sculpture out of a shapeless rock: “It is quite simple. You take a block of marble and chip away what does not belong.”
—Anecdotal source - Dedication
- To my wife
Margaret Dawn - First words
- At a time when nuclear physics, aided by mathematical models, takes us
back to instants after the Big Bang, when the DNA formula of living structures
is known and the substrate of matter is almost understood, the source... (show all)
of all this knowing, the conscious mind, is still a mystery. This is the Achilles
heel of our rational understanding of the world. Our ignorance allows for
speculations that range from the algorithmic to the occult. - Original language
- English
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- Members
- 58
- Popularity
- 532,257
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.33)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 2
