The Consciousness Instinct

Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind

By: Michael S. Gazzaniga

Narrated by: David Colacci

“The father of cognitive neuroscience” illuminates the past, present, and future of the mind-brain problem

How do neurons turn into minds? How does physical “stuff” - atoms, molecules, chemicals, and cells - create the vivid and various worlds inside our heads? The problem of consciousness has gnawed at us for millennia. In the last century there have been massive breakthroughs that have rewritten the science of the brain, and yet the puzzles faced by the ancient Greeks are still present. In The Consciousness Instinct, the neuroscience pioneer Michael S. Gazzaniga puts the latest research in conversation with the history of human thinking about the mind, giving a big-picture view of what science has revealed about consciousness.

The idea of the brain as a machine, first proposed centuries ago, has led to assumptions about the relationship between mind and brain that dog scientists and philosophers to this day. Gazzaniga asserts that this model has it backward - brains make machines, but they cannot be reduced to one. New research suggests the brain is actually a confederation of independent modules working together. Understanding how consciousness could emanate from such an organization will help define the future of brain science and artificial intelligence, and close the gap between brain and mind.

Captivating and accessible, with insights drawn from a lifetime at the forefront of the field, The Consciousness Instinct sets the course for the neuroscience of tomorrow.

©2018 Michael S. Gazzaniga (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

worth the read for discussion of consciousness

Summary analyses of Hume and Descartes are materially incomplete and inaccurate; fails to properly distinguish symbolism from natural residue and worldly represention in discussion of cell's reproductive machinery; however, discussion of consciousness otherwise is ℹ️ and useful. Definitely worth the read.

Consciousness through the lens of Neuroscience

Michael Gazzaniga is at the forefront and a leading scientist and researcher in cognitive neuroscience. His work on split brain patients has changed out concept of the mind within the brain, and our perception regarding identity.

In this context his attempt to provide a hypothesis on consciousness can be described as the closest science can come to explaining the Hard Problem of Consciousness.

The book takes us through a history of philosophy and science relating to the mind and the brain the dualism of Descartes, the reductionism schools and modern science, the quantum world of complementarity, and finally the authors proposal as to what the mind is and how it relates to the brain.

The author brings a new perspective to consciousness, one that accepts the possibility of a subjective system that cannot be reduced producing qualia analogous to other instincts. He proposes consciousness as an instinct evolving out of necessity to improve our survivability in complex situations. A continuum which he suggests is very likely present in different ways and degrees in all living things.

This book is highly recommended and a must read for anyone interested in the subject.

An amicable introduction to modern neuroscience

Without exploring neuroscience research in depth, this serves as an excellent theoretical overview. I suggeat this to any undergraduate interested in biology, neurology, psychology, or how these could relate to engineering.

Well-done dissection of his Theory of Consciousness

I would have preferred that Gazzaniga had not devoted the first half of the book to the ideas put forth by philosophers, physicians and others in their vain search for the location and nature of consciousness in the spleen or Soul or some other Body Part. He may have considered that a necessary groundwork to laying out his own aproach but I think he could have jumped directly to the details of his theory.

He does, however, make a good case for a reasonable architecture of the mammalian Brain as a modular structure of functions that communicate with each other in a complex network of layers. He follows closely William James’ theory that this communication network constitute an instinct that we call consciousness.

While his research doesn’t lead him to claim that he totally understands all the how’s and why’s of the logistics of its operation, he does put it forth as a framework to be used by neuroengineers, biologists and others to work together to further this endeavor.

This book may not be the latest work to try to define consciousness but Gazzaniga’s theory is definitely well stated and documented and this book is accessible and enjoyable to the lay reader. Four Stars. ****

5 Starred for the year published. Linda F Barrett

Linda F Barrett like this author is hit with FAKE REVIEWS !!
Linda s incredible book has the exact attacks.

One Of The Truly Great...

neurologists of our time. In his latest book, Gazzaniga furthers the research on the "hard problem" of consciousness but also shows the long historical road to the modern science of the brain and figuring out how it produces that indefinable thing we call "the Self."

I heard him giving the Gifford Lectures

This is an amazing book that untangles great swaths of evolutionary neurobiology. Wonderful clear speaker

An interesting and compelling idea, but slow start

This book contains a compelling model to help visualize the author's idea of consciousness, but the interesting model doesn't appear until nearly the end of the book. In the meantime, most of the text (about half) is spent proving that creationists are wrong, a job which is better done by authors who do it by proving that evolution is correct (I recommend, for example, Darwin's Dangerous Idea).

A fantastical overview of conscious thought

The more I learn about the human mind, the more it absolutely amazes me. This book is in deservance of a thunderous applause.

very informing and iteresting book

this book takes you for a deep dive in to the human mind structure and explains in detail every building block in it , fascinating journey!