On Consciousness

by Bernard J. Baars, Adam Alonzi (Editor)

This book retraces the influential “global workspace theory” (GWT) of conscious perception and thought. Part One is a look at the history of and the latest advances in consciousness studies, Part 2 is a republication of Baars’ 1988 Cambridge University Press book, “A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness,” and Part 3 presents the most recent advances in neurobiological theory (Baars et al, 2013).

Beliefs about the conscious mind are found in every culture. More than half of English content words refer to conscious perception, cognition, or voluntary control. Yet the careful scientific study of conscious thought has been very controversial until recently.

Readers can start with the tutorial, the cognitive theory, or jump to the most recent neurobiological version, called “Dynamic GWT.” Conscious brains are biological emergents, and can be understood in a coherent scientific framework.

Global Workspace (GW) Theory has become something of a buzzword in recent years, as philosophers and scientists have come to similar conclusions. The scientific study of consciousness in humans and other species has risen to the forefront, with many contributions from experimental psychology and neuroscience. The biological basis of the conscious brain is increasingly studied. New journals and societies have been founded to support research and communication among the many fields that are contributing to the science of conscious brains. In 2005 Science magazine listed “the biological basis of consciousness” as one of its top unsolved problems, a welcome sign of wider acceptance.

Yet I believe this Kindle Edition of the basic exposition of Global Workspace Theory is still needed today.

First, while the phrase “global workspace” has become popular, it is rarely used with clarity or empirical precision. This is not desirable in a young field of science. This book gives explicit definitions for all the theoretical terms used as of 1988 (see the Glossary and Index to Theoretical Claims). It also reviews the extensive evidence that may make those terms meaningful. In science we can debate facts and theory, but we should do so with clarity and rigor.

Second, it is widely (and wrongly) believed that GWT makes only one major claim about the role of consciousness in the brain. In fact, GWT claims there may be five necessary conditions for conscious brain events, not just one. There is evidence for all five conditions, and of course there may well be additional conditions that we do not understand at this time. As far as I can tell, the evidence for those conditions has only grown since 1988. Thus many discussions of GWT deal with only one-fifth of the theory.

In recent years the Cambridge University Press edition has become costly and sometimes hard to find. I hope therefore that this inexpensive electronic edition will remove any barriers for interested readers. Today, nearly the entire scientific literature on consciousness and its sister issues should be available to interested readers.

(Goodreads.com)