Consciousness Lost and Found: A Neuropsychological Exploration

Description

The phenomenon of "consciousness" is intrinsically related to one's awareness of one's self, of time, and of the physical world. But what if something should happen to impair one's awareness? What do we make of "consciousness" in those people who have suffered brain damage? These questions and more are explored by Lawrence Weiskrantz, a distinguished neuropsychologist, in this unparalleled look at human awareness. It has been discovered that many brain damaged individuals retain intact capacities in what is known as `covert' processing. A blind patient, then, may actually be able to "see" while an amnesiac patient can learn and retain information that he or she does not realize is memory. In fact, in every major class of defect in which patients lose cognitive ability are examples of preserved capacities. Weiskrantz uses his research into this phenomenon as a springboard toward a philosophical argument which, combined with the latest brain imaging studies, points the way to specific brain structures which may be involved in conscious awareness. He then takes his argument further, asking whether animals who share much the same brain anatomy as humans share awareness and how that impacts our assumptions about evolution as well as our moral and ethical decision making. Written in an engaging, easy-to-read style, Consciousness Lost and Found provides a unique perspective on one of the most challenging issues in today's scientific community.