Some of our most burning questions surround consciousness: What creates our identity? Do we really have free will? Is consciousness itself an illusion? The rapid rate of developments in brain science continues to open up debate on these issues. This book clarifies the complex arguments and illuminates the major theories on consciousness.

• 1: Why the mystery?


• 2: The human brain


• 3: Time and space


• 4: A grand illusion


• 5: The self


• 6: Conscious will


• 7: Altered states of consciousness


• 8: The evolution of consciousness


• References


• Further Reading


• Index

Susan Blackmore is a psychologist, writer, and Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. Her research ranges through out-of-body experiences and claims of the paranormal to minds, memes, and the mysteries of consciousness and free will. She is a TED lecturer, blogs for the Guardian and Psychology Today, and frequently appears on radio and TV. Her books include The Meme Machine (OUP, 1999), Conversations on Consciousness (OUP, 2005), Zen and the Art of Consciousness (Oneworld Publications, 2011) and Seeing Myself: The New Science of Out-of-body Experiences (Little Brown, 2017).