Conscious

Summary (from the publisher): As concise, accessible, and enlightening as Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, this mind-expanding dive into the mystery of consciousness challenges our beliefs about who or what experiences the world and how and reshapes our understanding of free will and the concept of a self.

As humans, our awareness of being—that is, our consciousness—is so ingrained that we take it for granted. But the idea of consciousness raises profound questions when examined up close. Why would any collection of matter in the universe be conscious? How are we even able to think about this? And why should we?

In Conscious, Annaka Harris ponders these and other brain-twisting questions as she takes us through evolving definitions, philosophies, and scientific findings that probe our limited understanding of this age-old mystery. Is consciousness an illusion, or is it a universal property of all matter? Where does it reside, and what gives rise to it? As we try to understand how consciousness comes to be in the first place, we must grapple with how to define it, and--in the age of artificial intelligence--how to decide who or what experiences it. 

Conscious is an illuminating meditation on the self, intelligence, and the circuitry that appears to give rise to the certainty of experience. Harris weaves lively arguments and viewpoints from an array of scientists, philosophers, academics, mindfulness experts, and futurists whose examinations radically alter our ideas about consciousness without definitively pinning it down—allowing us, as conscious beings, to think on it for ourselves, if indeed we can.

Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins. 

This succinct little book is a philosophical musing on the idea of consciousness, including contemplating the origin of conscious life as we know and the very fact that as humans we are even able to grasp and contemplate our own consciousness. Harris provides an approachable dive into the thinking behind humans' awareness of our being. Each section of the book contemplates a different central question and the author includes scientific, medical, and historical information to provide context and depth. 

Full disclaimer, I read this book in the early days after having a baby so I don't think I was in the best shape to read deep philosophical musings on the nature of human consciousness. But on the other hand, despite being sleep deprived, I found this book approachable and a great introduction to the philosophy behind the mind. Like any philosophical discussion, theres no clear cut answers (nor should there be) to any of the questions posed by Harris in this book, but she does an excellent job of provoking thought and exploring what makes us human. Overall, I enjoyed the book and thought it was the perfect length to provide food for thought for non-philosophers while still providing enough depth to illustrate her points. 

Stars: 3