Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination

What goes on in our heads when we have a thought? How do physical events that occur inside a fistful of gelatinous tissue give rise to a universe of conscious experience? Scientists and philosophers have pondered these questions for more than 2000 years, but not until now has there been the possibility of answers grounded in scientific experiment. This book presents an empirically supported full-scale theory of consciousness, providing for the first time a scientific understanding of the most general and fundamental properties of consciousness. What kind of neural process might explain the generation of the fantastic number of unified conscious states - as wide as one's memory and as far as one's imagination - something far beyond the capabilities of present-day computers? The authors apply all of the resources and insights of modern neuroscience. This pioneering work represents a landmark in our growing understanding of consciousness, perhaps the most exciting frontier of current science.