Had an interesting conversation on the science of consciousness a while back and realized there is a lot I don’t know.
Can anyone recommend a recent book that covers the overall basics, such as the different theories (like antenna/etc) and physics overlaps?
My only requirement is scientific references. I dont want or need cited peer reviewed papers, but I don’t want an author’s sole opinion, either.
Any good books on conciousness?
Not that I’m aware …
I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter
And “Gödel Escher Bach”, also by Hofstadter, which is basically the foreword to Strange Loop.
Yes. Shadows of the mind, roger penrose
Given that this is from 1989, does it hold up now? My understanding is a lot has happened since then.
Not in regards to studying consciousness. We knew nothing then and we know nothing now.
Yes it definitely does.
My favourite part of that book is where Penrose perfectly describes what today we call AI deepfakes and how the ‘bottom-up’ algorithms that run all our AI tech today will never lead to actual consciousness, or sentience in machines.
His arguments do still hold up today, and give an interesting perspective on our current AI bubble that keeps promising AGI is just around the corner.
Maybe a bit off the beaten path but: The Doors of Perception, Alduous Huxley.
Consciousness Explained by Daniel C. Dennett. A bit dense and probably a bit dated now, but I feel it’s a good introduction to the topic even if some of the conclusions he had (at that time) don’t hold up now.
Consciousness: a Very Short Introduction.
I can’t vouch for that particular book, but the VSI series is usually a good bet.
So far this one seems on top for me. Most of the others (apart from Huxley which is very old) are people proposing their theories, vs an overview.
