Consciousness in Contemporary Science

In this book the significance of consciousness in modern science is discussed by a number of researchers from a variety of disciplines. They address themselves to several main issues: the status of different aspects of consciousness; the criteria for using the concept of consciousness and identifying instances of it; the basis of consciousness in functional brain organization; the relationship between different levels of theoretical discourse; and the functions of consciousness. This survey is intended for psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists, social scientists and clinicians.

Table of Contents:
A cautious welcome - an introduction and guide to the book, Anthony J. Marcel (MRC Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge), E. Bisiach (Instituto di Clinica Neurologica, University of Milan); ____, yishi, duh, um and consciousness, Kathleen Wilkes (St Hilda's College, University of Oxford); quining qualia, Daniel C. Dennett (Department of Philosophy, Tufts University, Massachusetts); consciousness, intrinsic intentionality and self-understanding machines, Robert Van Gulick (Department of Philosophy, Syracuse University, New York); the (haunted) brain and consciousness, Edoardo Bisiach (Istituto di Clinica Neurologica, University of Milan); phenomenal experience and functionalism, Anthony J. Marcel (MRC Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge); what concept of consciousness?, Alan Allport (Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford); some contributions of neuropsychology of vision and memory to the problem of consciousness, Lawrence Weiskrantz (Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford); hypermnesia and insight, Matthew Hugh Erdelyi (Department of Psychology, City University of New York); brain modularity - towards a philosophy of conscious experience, Michael S. Gazzaniga (Department of Neurology, Cornell University Medical Center, New York); integrated field theory of consciousness, Marcel Kinsbourne (Department of Behavioural Neurology, Shriver Center, Massachusetts); consciousness in science and philosophy - consciousness and con-science, Richard L. Gregory (Department of Anatomy, University of Bristol); reduction and the neurobiological basis of consciousness, Patricia Smith Churchland (Department of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego); information-processing models of consciousness - possibilities and problems, Tim Shallice (MRC Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge); the control and operations of consciousness, Carlo Umilta (Istituto di Fisiologia Umana, University of Parma); a computational analysis of consciousness, Philip N. Johnson-Laird (MRC Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge); on changing one's mind - a possible function of consciousness, Keith Oatley (Department of Psychology, University of Glasgow). Index.