Consciousness in Contemporary Science

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in consciousness, from a number of viewpoints. In this book, the place of consciousness in modern science is discussed by leading authorities from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, and neurology. They address several main issues: the theoretical status of different aspects of consciousness; the criteria for using the concept and for distinguishing instances of conscious and non-conscious behaviour; the basis of consciousness in cognition and in functional brain organization; the relationship between different levels of theoretical discourse; disorders of consciousness, especially neurological; and the functions of consciousness. The book thus presents a wide-ranging survey of current thinking on this important topic.