How Consciousness Arises: A New Theory of Mind in Humans, Nature, and Machines
Description
What is consciousness? How does it arise? When did it first appear in the universe? What enablesusto know that we are conscious? Could there be a relationship between consciousness and quantum phenomena? Could a computer be connscious? When does a fetus become aware? Did the universe originate with consciousness - and is there Mind behind it? Could a mind persist after death?
The Origin of Consciousness weaves together these and manh other timeless questions into a bold new theory that seeks to resolve the mind-body problem-and explore the possibility of mind beyond death.
Dr. Stephen Goldberg proposes that human consciousness is the information content of the brain. In this view, all brain regions - even those typically considered nonconscious - are conscious, because all contain information. He introduces the concept of Jonah-Minds, inspired by the biblical story of Jonah inside the whale: just as Jonah is aware though hidden, so too are these brain regions conscious, even if their "thoughts" are inaccessible to us.
