The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: The Character of Consciousness, David J. Chalmers

The Character of Consciousness

David J. Chalmers

What is consciousness? How does the subjective character of consciousness fit into an objective world? How can there be a science of consciousness? In this sequel to his groundbreaking and controversial The Conscious Mind, David Chalmers develops a unified framework that addresses these questions and many others. Starting with a statement of the "hard problem" of consciousness, Chalmers builds a positive framework for the science of consciousness and a nonreductive vision of the metaphysics of consciousness. He replies to many critics of The Conscious Mind, and then develops a positive theory in new directions. The book includes original accounts of how we think and know about consciousness, of the unity of consciousness, and of how consciousness relates to the external world. Along the way, Chalmers develops many provocative ideas: the "consciousness meter", the Garden of Eden as a model of perceptual experience, and The Matrix as a guide to the deepest philosophical problems about consciousness and the external world.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Oxford University Press
  • Publish Date: Oct 28th, 2010
  • Pages: 624
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.18in - 6.22in - 1.38in - 1.89lb
  • EAN: 9780195311112
  • Categories: Mind & BodyNeurologyCognitive Psychology & Cognition

More books to explore

Book Cover for: The Ceiling Outside: The Science and Experience of the Disrupted Mind, Noga Arikha
Book Cover for: The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us about Ourselves, Eric R. Kandel
Book Cover for: A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain, Sara Manning Peskin
Book Cover for: Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom, James Danckert
Book Cover for: The Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind, Richard Restak
Book Cover for: The Man Who Tasted Words: A Neurologist Explores the Strange and Startling World of Our Senses, Guy Leschziner
Book Cover for: Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness, Peter Godfrey-Smith
Book Cover for: The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health, Camilla Nord
Book Cover for: Becoming Aware: A 21-Day Mindfulness Program for Reducing Anxiety and Cultivating Calm, Daniel J. Siegel
Book Cover for: Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain, Lisa Feldman Barrett
Book Cover for: Brainscapes: The Warped, Wondrous Maps Written in Your Brain--And How They Guide You, Rebecca Schwarzlose
Book Cover for: Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence--The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice, Daniel J. Siegel
Book Cover for: Two Heads: A Graphic Exploration of How Our Brains Work with Other Brains, Uta Frith
Book Cover for: The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours, Chantel Prat
Book Cover for: The Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness, Suzanne O'Sullivan

About the Author

David J. Chalmers is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at Australian National University and New York University. He is the author of The Conscious Mind, Philosophy of Mind: Classic and Contemporary Readings, and editor of the OUP series Philosophy of Mind.

More books by David J. Chalmers

Book Cover for: Conscious Mind in Search of a Fundamental Theory (Revised), David J. Chalmers
Book Cover for: Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy, David J. Chalmers
Book Cover for: Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings, David J. Chalmers
Book Cover for: Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan, David J. Chalmers
Book Cover for: Constructing the World, David J. Chalmers

Praise for this book

"For all that Chalmers offers us his magnificent, mammoth and challenging tour de force, there are many conservative strands in his thought that warrant serious challenge. The first step is to get to know his arguments in detail -- and there is no better place to start than with this book."--Daniel D. Hutto, Philosophy

"This huge collection is very well written and well organized. Readers can start their intellectual journey from virtually any chapter, and try to broaden their intellectual journey by reading related chapters. The technicality is limited so that it does not thwart understanding in general. It is written for both professional philosophers and serious lay people." --Metapsychology

"This valuable book brings together the important work that David Chalmers has done on the topic of consciousness since the publication of his seminal The Conscious Mind in 1996. It includes an expanded treatment of his semantic two-dimensionalism and his argument against physicalism, along with a number of insightful discussion of conscious experience that are independent of these. No one interested in these topics should be without this book." --Sydney Shoemaker, Cornell University