Theatre of the Mind. Raising the curtain on consciousness. Jay Ingram (2005).

Reviewed: 2007/09/18 13:13. This book by Jay Ingram is published by Harper Collins Canada (2005).
This is the last book I’ve read about consciousness, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in the field as an introductory journey into the matter. As Jay Ingram is a science broadcaster the book is written for the broad public, and...

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 Post edited by: Raúl, at: 2006/11/13 13:13

I’m about to finish reading the book Consciousness Explained by Daniel C. Dennett (1991). Although I have seen some critics against Dennett’s approach I think this book is a really valuable resource for those who aim to better understand the nature of consciousness. The multiple draft model presented in the book is quite interesting and it seems that latest advances in neuroscience prove the basics assumptions of the model. The Cartesian Theatre approach is confronted to the multiple draft model, and I think the distributed nature of consciousness is well supported.

As usual, the phenomenal dimension of consciousness is the controversial point. Dennett introduces the term “heterophenomenology” in this book. The heterophenomenological approach is the tool used by Dennett to explain the proposed model.

An interesting interview with the author of the book, Daniel Dennett, is available here.

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Journal of Consciousness Studies

JCS covers the following topics:
- How does the mind relate to the brain?
- Can computers ever be conscious?
- What do we mean by subjectivity and the self?

These questions are being keenly debated in fields as diverse as cognitive science, neurophysiology and philosophy. JCS is a peer-reviewed journal which examines these issues in plain English.

Some special issues on Machine Consciousness have appeared in JCS.

•  Journal of Consciousness Studies Website.

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Stan Franklin

W. Harry Feinstone Interdisciplinary Research Professor
Cognitive Computing Research Group
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Intelligent Systems
The University of Memphis
Memphis, TN

Leading and managing the IDA project from its inception, Stan bears major responsibility for it. His primary research interest is in how minds work. The IDA project that allows the modeling of consciousness and cognition in software agents within a real-world domain is perfect for his needs. Stan typically teaches courses on artificial intelligence and on autonomous agents.

• Stan Franklin Homepage.
  

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Uma Ramamurthy

Director of Computing,
Department of Biostatistics,
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital,
Memphis, TN.

 Uma is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Institute for Intelligent Systems. Her research interests include modeling perception, conceptual learning, self and memory systems in cognitive software agents.

• Uma Ramamurthy Homepage.
  

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Murray Shanahan

Professor of Cognitive Robotics.
Department of Computing.
Imperial College London.

Murray research interests are focused in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. He also has a strong interest in philosophy of mind, and have recently become involved in computational neuroscience.

• Murray Shanahan Homepage.

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