Understanding Consciousness
Abstract
Understanding Consciousness, 2nd Edition provides a unique survey and evaluation of consciousness studies, along with an original analysis of consciousness that combines scientific findings, philosophy and common sense. Building on the widely praised first edition, this new edition adds fresh research, and deepens the original analysis in a way that reflects some of the fundamental changes in the understanding of consciousness that have taken place over the last 10 years. The book is divided into three parts; Part one surveys current theories of consciousness, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. Part two reconstructs an understanding of consciousness from first principles, starting with its phenomenology, and leading to a closer examination of how conscious experience relates to the world described by physics and information processing in the brain. Finally, Part three deals with some of the fundamental issues such as what consciousness is and does, and how it fits into to the evolving universe. As the structure of the book moves from a basic overview of the field to a successively deeper analysis, it can be used both for those new to the subject and for more established researchers. Understanding Consciousness tells a story with a beginning, middle and end in a way that integrates the philosophy of consciousness with the science. Overall, the book provides a unique perspective on how to address the problems of consciousness and as such, will be of great interest to ps…
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The FoC must be virtual, in roughly the sense of Virtual Reality.
“This strongly suggests that it must also be virtual, in roughly the sense in which the word is used in “Virtual Reality””
From The Projective Consciousness Model and Phenomenal Selfhood (2018) · cites this paper as Velmans, 2009
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“This strongly suggests that it must also be virtual, in roughly the sense in which the word is used in “Virtual Reality” (cf., Velmans, 2009, 140ff.; Rudrauf, 2014).”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Velmans, M.
- Affiliations
- Goldsmiths University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Velmans, Max
- ORCID
- Velmans, Max
- Venue
- Routledge eBooks
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Published
- 2009-03-26
- OpenAlex
- W4254891386
- Cited by
- 132
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.87
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Routledge eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Free Will and Agency
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Keywords
- consciousness, theory of consciousness, phenomenology, subjective experience, mind-brain relationship, brain information processing, philosophy of consciousness, nature of consciousness, evolution of consciousness
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