THE SCIENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS. WAKING, SLEEPING AND DREAMING

• Part I. The Nature of Consciousness:
1. The Problem of Consciousness
2. The Mind-Body Problem
3. Do We Have Free Will?
4. Machine Consciousness
5. Animal Consciousness
• Part II. The Workings of Consciousness:
6. Looking at our Own Minds
7. Self and Identity
8. Cognition and Consciousness
9. Perception and Consciousness
10. Consciousness and the Brain
• Part III. Other States of Consciousness:
11. Altered States of Consciousness
12. Sleep
13. Dreams
14. Hypnosis
15. Drugs and Consciousness
16. Meditation and Transcendental Experiences
17. Parapsychology
18. Bringing it all Together
Glossaries
List of Abbreviations
References
Index.

Consciousness concerns awareness and how we experience the world. How does awareness, a feature of the mental world, arise from the physical brain? Is a dog conscious, or a jellyfish, and what explains the difference? How is consciousness related to psychological processes such as perception and cognition? The Science of Consciousness covers the psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience of consciousness. Written for introductory courses in psychology and philosophy, this text examines consciousness with a special emphasis on current neuroscience research as well as comparisons of normal and damaged brains. The full range of normal and altered states of consciousness, including sleep and dreams, hypnotic and meditative states, anesthesia, and drug-induced states, as well as parapsychological phenomena and their importance for the science of consciousness is covered, as well as the 'higher' states and how we can attain them. Throughout the text attempts to relate consciousness to the brain.
• Emphasizes a science-based approach as well as philosophical concepts so students learn the entire breadth of the study of consciousness and the relationship between consciousness and the brain
• Written accessibly for students with and without science prerequisites, 'Try this' feature boxes, a technical glossary, and boxed material prompt self-reflection and engagement with concepts
• Practical questions end each chapter to illustrate applications of consciousness research and list of further resources offer a focus for extension work and a launch pad for students who are looking to focus on particular topics

Author
Trevor A. Harley, University of Dundee
Trevor A. Harley is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Dundee and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He is the author of The Psychology of Language, 4th edition (2013), Talking the Talk, 2nd edition (2017) and The Psychology of Weather (2018). He is very widely published across psychology, including papers on consciousness and dreams, and has kept a detailed dream diary for several years. He is always wondering what his poodle Beau is thinking about.