Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It by Christ

Description: Then I Am Myself the World by Christof Koch The worlds leading investigator of consciousness argues that by understanding what consciousness does-cause change in the world-we can understand its origins and its future? FORMAT Hardcover CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description In Then I Am Myself the World, Christof Koch explores the only thing we directly experience: consciousness. At the books heart is integrated-information theory, the idea that the essence of consciousness is the ability to exert causal power over itself, to be an agent of change. Koch investigates the physical origins of consciousness in the brain and how this knowledge can be used to measure consciousness in natural and artificial systems. Enabled by such tools, Koch reveals when and where consciousness exists, and uses that knowledge to confront major social and scientific questions: When does a foetus first become self-aware? Can psychedelic and mystical experiences transform lives? What happens to consciousness in near-death experiences? Why will generative AI ultimately be able to do the very thing we can do, yet never feel any of it? And do our experiences reveal a single, objective reality? This is an essential book for anyone who seeks to understand ourselves and the future we are creating. Author Biography Christof Koch is a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute and at the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, the former president of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and a former professor at the California Institute of Technology. Author of four previous titles, Koch writes regularly for a range of media, including Scientific American. He lives in the Pacific Northwest. Review "Kochs adept use of analogies and entertaining anecdotes -- complete with his own near-death experience and psychedelic drug trips -- make the book a compelling and surprisingly light read." --Science News"A wonderful book."--Sam Harris, Making Sense with Sam Harris"an impressive and sometimes exuberant work, showcasing decades of [Kochs] research"--New Scientist"undeniably compelling... a smoothly written must-read for anyone interested in a detailed introduction to the relationship between the brain, consciousness, and transformative experiences" --Ars Technica"magisterial... charming, sometimes beautiful, and almost always illuminating" --Science Magazine"a fun introduction to a number of debates... Mr. Kochs book provokes questions... and counterarguments, but thats what gives it life." --The Wall Street Journal"Easily the most current, thorough, and helpful exploration of consciousness available. Kochs light, simple, yet authoritative writing style will appeal to general audiences as well as scientists and researchers. An essential, highly recommended purchase."--Library Journal"Then I Am Myself the World is the new record of note for the scientific understanding of consciousness. This is an elegant tableau, a travelogue of subjective experience grounded in the latest neuroscience and philosophy traversing religion, science, and a life dedicated to the biggest questions. Filled with crystalline prose, lucid explanation, and revelatory honesty, this book will continue to be read centuries from now."--Patrick House, author of Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness"Expertly weaving in personal experience with science that few, if any, can speak more authoritatively about, Koch leads us on an amazing journey of consciousness--from birth to death. Deeply personal and infinitely digestible, Then I Am Myself the World is a remarkable must read for anyone interested in knowing their mind."--Judson Brewer MD, PhD, New York Times-bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety"Kochs first book was entitled The Quest for Consciousness. And such has been Kochs life, an adventurers pursuit of a distant goal, undeterred by the prevailing winds. The reader will learn where this quest has led and, like the author, will be enriched by it. Koch, one of the most accomplished scientists of our time, a mind singularly open to learning and changing, here opens his soul, revealing his vast, scintillating appreciation of nature in all its forms. It is a touching, profound book. Which is as it should be, since consciousness touches everything and is everything we touch."--Giulio Tononi, University of Wisconsin-Madison"Kochs latest book brilliantly navigates the intricate landscape of our mind and our brain, offering insightful perspectives on the nature of conscious experiences, both ordinary as well as extraordinary ones."--Hartmut Neven, founder and lead of Googles quantum AI lab"What would happen if a hardcore neuroscientist, with encyclopedic knowledge and four decades of experience in his field, were personally confronted with transformative mystical experiences carrying inevitable metaphysical implications? What would happen if the neuroscientist in question were open-minded, humble, but remained rigorously grounded in reason, evidence, and his hard-earned understanding of how consciousness relates to brain structures and function? What would he, the most preeminent professional of his generation, make of his extraordinary experiences? And what if, in addition, the neuroscientist was a modern renaissance man versed in physics, philosophy, the arts, the classics, and could pluck irresistibly evocative metaphors from the Western literary and artistic canon as if leisurely picking apples in early fall? This is what you will find in this treasured book, a whirlwind ride of insight after insight--so many they cant possibly be all documented in footnotes--that will surprise and delight you from the get-go. Primacy goes to consciousness, not to the objective world, he boldly states already on page two, in a prelude of things to come. Everything else follows from there, including the realist assumption of the existence of objects, out there, independent of my experiencing them. The book embodies the ever-evolving wisdom of a man whose intellectual prowess is only matched by his intellectual honesty. And this man, in the seventh decade of his scintillatingly productive life, has a lifetime of learning to share with you."--Bernardo Kastrup, executive director, Essentia Foundation Details ISBN1541602803 Publisher Basic Books Year 2024 ISBN-13 9781541602809 Format Hardcover Imprint Basic Books Subtitle What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It Author Christof Koch Pages 288 Country of Publication United States DEWEY 612.8233 Audience General ISBN-10 1541602803 UK Release Date 2024-05-09 Publication Date 2024-05-09 US Release Date 2024-05-09 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:159899027;

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