Consciousness: Very Short Introduction by Susan Blackmore

Consciousness is a controversial topic and the last great mystery for science. In this book, Susan Blackmore challenges readers to reconsider key concepts such as personality, free will, and the soul.

The book explores how a physical brain creates our experience of the world and covers topics such as vision and attention, theories of self, experiments on action and awareness, altered states of consciousness, and the effects of brain damage and drugs.

What I Liked

I remember laughing out loud – mainly because this book feels like it knows what you’re thinking about thinking. Consciousness is really, really bizarre – and totally taken for granted. Science has only just begun studying it effectively. This book gives a good framework about how to think about thinking.

Also – it’s a Very Short Introduction, so everything. It’s concise, well-sourced, readable, and useful.

What I Did Not Like

Nothing – VSIs are always worthwhile.