On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity - Updated Works on Global Workspace Theory - Hardcover

Baars, Bernard J

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1732904820 ISBN 13: 9781732904828

Publisher: Nautilus Press, 2019

Synopsis

"The works of Bernard Baars collected here are among the foundational texts of the scientific study of consciousness. Their influence in cognitive science and philosophy of mind is enormous, and their impact on my own thinking has been profound." —Murray Shanahan, Professor of Cognitive Robotics, Dept of Computing, ICL

Global Workspace Theory (GWT) began with this question: “How does a serial, integrated and very limited stream of consciousness emerge from a nervous system that is mostly unconscious, distributed, parallel and of enormous capacity?”

GWT is a widely used framework for the role of conscious and unconscious experiences in the functioning of the brain. A set of explicit assumptions that can be tested, as many of them have been. These updated works, from the recipient of INNS 2019 Hermann von Helmholtz Life Contribution Award, form a coherent effort to organize a large and growing body of scientific evidence about conscious brains. 

Throughout human history, people have perceived the conscious brain as the great nexus of human life, of social relationships, of their personal identities and histories, in encounters with new challenges. Consciousness under its many labels and manifestations is widely seen to be one of the core mysteries of life. Many therapeutic approaches can be viewed in a global workspace framework, including traditional psychodynamics and depth psychology, but also cognitive behavioral techniques, and, indeed, many other kinds of carefully studied human functions. Making progress in understanding consciousness therefore has an endless number of implications - philosophical, metaphysical, scientific, medical, clinical, and practical.

A valuable reference for technical audiences and a vigorous intellectual hike for the layman." —Kirkus Reviews

How can we understand the evidence? The best answer today is a ‘global workspace architecture,’ first developed by cognitive modeling groups led by Alan Newell and Herbert A. Simon. The term “global workspace” comes from Artificial Intelligence, where it refers to a fleeting memory domain that allows for cooperative problem-solving by large collections of specialized programs. Global Workspace Theory (GWT) therefore assumes that the brain can be viewed as a "society of mind." 

Global Workspace (GW) theory is consistent with our current knowledge, and can be enriched to include other aspects of human experience.

• Stan Franklin and co-workers have built on GWT to sketch out a more general theory of cognition - LIDA: Cognitive Architecture's Computational Implementation of GWT. 
• Stanislas Dehaene and Jean-Pierre Changeux in Paris developed experimentally testable models, making further testable claims about the brain basis of visual consciousness - The Dehaene-Changeux Model (DCM): Global Neuronal Workspace is Part of GWT.

Global Workspace Dynamics (GWD) is the most current version of GWT – attempting to account for complexities of the living brain. These updated works trace the beginnings of GWT/GWD through the continued rise of brain evidence and psychological understanding. On Consciousness is an indispensable addition to the library of both students and experts studying mind, brain, and behavior. 

"Bernie Baars is a giant on whose shoulders the future science of consciousness will stand." —Antti Revonsuo, PhD, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Skövde, Sweden

About this title

About the Author

A former Senior Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology at The Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, CA., he is currently Editor in Chief of the Society for Mind Brain Sciences. Baars co-founded the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness and the Academic Press journal Consciousness & Cognition: An International Journal, which he also edited, with William P. Banks for fifteen years. Recipient of International Neural Network Society 2019 Hermann von Helmholtz Award recognizing scientific life contributions proven to be paradigm changing, which demonstrate outstanding research achievements in perception. In addition to research on global workspace theory with Professor Stan Franklin and others, Baars is working to re-introduce the topic of the conscious brain into the standard college and graduate school curriculum. Baars has also published on animal consciousness, volition, and feelings of knowing, and has published an approach to "higher" states, as defined in the meditation traditions. New brain recording methods continue to reveal unexpected evidence on those topics.

Creator of The Feeling Brain VisualCME series, Natalie founded MedNeuro to advance medical education in the neurobiology of emotion, and improve communication between highly specialized fields in science, medicine, the arts and humanities. Her work is influenced by decades of education design for public and private school systems, arts & literary organizations, and the general public, with productions and appearances viewed worldwide in major magazines and global networks. A science writer and editor, Natalie co-founded the Society for MindBrain Sciences and is the author of "Sensual Intelligence: An Introduction to Your Body's Language." Editor of the peer reviewed journal Frontiers in Blockchain: Blockchain for Good, of Dr. Baars' latest book, "On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity," and co-author of an upcoming book with Baars for Oxford University Press about breakthroughs in consciousness science and the global workspace dynamics of the brain.

Review

PRAISE for ON CONSCIOUSNESS

"The works of Bernard Baars collected here are among the foundational texts of the scientific study of consciousness. Their influence in cognitive science and philosophy of mind is enormous, and their impact on my own thinking has been profound." —Murray Shanahan, Prof of Cognitive Robotics, Dept of Computing, ICL

"Bernie Baars is a giant on whose shoulders the future science of consciousness will stand." —Antti Revonsuo, PhD, Prof of Cognitive Neuroscience, Univ of Skövde, Sweden

“Quite simply, Bernard Baars has made the most important single contribution to consciousness studies since William James.” —Bruce Mangan, PhD, Institute of Cognitive Studies, UC Berkeley

"This corpus is a stunning achievement." —Patricia Churchland, PhD, UC President's Professor of Philosophy Emerita, UCSD

"Baars explains his influential theory in exquisite detail in this new volume, with many updates of his main writings. A bird's eye view of the brain with many exciting insights of its complex workings. An enjoyable read by an expert authority." —György Buzsáki, author, "The Brain From Inside Out"

"Consciousness will not become acceptable to science without 3 things: empirical evidence that overcomes the consciousness deniers, a satisfying account of subjectivity, and a global understanding of the mind's staggering complexity. Baars is perhaps our most important voice... and On Consciousness raises a high bar for all future exploration in the field.” —Deepak Chopra, MD, author, “Metahuman”

“A clear-eyed, open-minded analysis of the problems of consciousness, and a wide-ranging synthesis of a variety of approaches. For those who want to join the race to model consciousness, this is the starting line.” —Dan Dennett, author, "From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds"

"On Consciousness is an indispensable addition to the library of both students and experts who study consciousness.” —George A. Mashour, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Consciousness Science, Univ of Michigan

"...Baars’ compilation will be suitably challenging for those who’ve previously enjoyed such popular-science books as Luke Dittrich’s 2016 work Patient H.M. The author is humorously engaging while drawing readers into his complex studies, as when he notes that “consciousness science still resembles sex in the Victorian age: We know it’s there, but we tend to evade it.”

Within the text, he poses simple experiments for readers to try, such as attempting to “stop your inner speech for ten seconds.” Baars also presents evidence for consciousness in animals and refutes the concept of consciousness in machines: “Computer programs that seem to act like conscious beings do not provide empirical proof. The map is not the territory.” The third section is perhaps the most formidable one, as its greater length allows the author to offer more depth and breadth to his overall presentation. The Global Workspace Theory reveals insights into such subjects as PTSD and why rote activities, such as walking, stop impinging on the conscious mind enough to permit a second, simultaneous activity, such as listening to music. Some of the illustrations ... are beautiful and astonishingly detailed.

A valuable reference for technical audiences and a vigorous intellectual hike for the layman." —Kirkus Reviews

Edition details

• Publisher: Nautilus Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1732904820
• ISBN 13: 9781732904828
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 682
• Editor: Geld Natalie