The story of a quest to uncover the evolutionary history of consciousness from one of the world's leading theoretical psychologists. We feel, therefore we are. Conscious sensations ground our sense of self. They are crucial to our idea of ourselves as psychic beings: present, existent, and mattering. But is it only humans who feel this way? Do other animals? Will future machines? Weaving together intellectual adventure and cutting-edge science, Nicholas Humphrey describes in Sentience his quest for answers: from his discovery of blindsight in monkeys and his pioneering work on social intelligence to breakthroughs in the philosophy of mind. The goal is to solve the hard problem: to explain the wondrous, eerie fact of “phenomenal consciousness”—the redness of a poppy, the sweetness of honey, the pain of a bee sting. What does this magical dimension of experience amount to? What is it for? And why has it evolved? Humphrey presents here his new solution. He proposes that phenomenal consciousness, far from being primitive, is a relatively late and sophisticated evolutionary development. The implications for the existence of sentience in nonhuman animals are startling and provocative.
“A brilliantly inventive account of the evolution of consciousness, the best yet” (Paul Broks, Prospect). “Consciousness matters. Arguably it matters more than anything. The purpose of this book is to build towards an explanation of just what the matter is.” Nicholas Humphrey begins this compelling exploration of the biggest of big questions with a challenge to the reader, and himself. What’s involved in “seeing red”? What is it like for us to see someone else seeing something red? Seeing a red screen tells us a fact about something in the world. But it also creates a new fact—a sensation in each of our minds, the feeling of redness. And that’s the mystery. Conventional science so far hasn’t told us what conscious sensations are made of, or how we get access to them, or why we have them at all. From an evolutionary perspective, what’s the point of consciousness? Humphrey offers a daring and novel solution, arguing that sensations are not things that happen to us, they are things we do—originating in our primordial ancestors’ expressions of liking or disgust. Tracing the evolutionary trajectory through to human beings, he shows how this has led to sensations playing the key role in the human sense of Self. The Self, as we now know it from within, seems to have fascinating other-worldly properties. It leads us to believe in mind-body duality and the existence of a soul. And such beliefs—even if mistaken—can be highly adaptive, because they increase the value we place on our own and others’ lives. “Consciousness matters,” Humphrey concludes with striking paradox, “because it is its function to matter. It has been designed to create in human beings a Self whose life is worth pursuing.” Praise for Seeing Red “A wonderful amalgam of science, philosophy, and art. [Seeing Red] is based on deep knowledge of visual processing by the brain and poetic understanding of human experience. This is a remarkable achievement.” —Richard Gregory, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, University of Bristol, and editor of The Oxford Companion to the Mind “A brief, brilliant, and wonderfully lucid contribution to consciousness studies. By combining empirical scientific method, evolutionary theory, and a sensitive appreciation of the arts, Nicholas Humphrey argues plausibly that the “hard problem” of consciousness—the difficulty of explaining the connection between the material brain and the phenomenon of individual selfhood—may itself be the answer to a bigger question: what makes us human?”—David Lodge, author of Consciousness and the Novel: Connected Essays “Illustrating his argument with the musings of poets and painters, Humphrey stylishly inspires curiosity about consciousness.” —Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
A radically new view of the nature and purpose of consciousness How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve? And why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust, the psychologist Nicholas Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, proposes a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us and makes us feel special and transcendent. Thus consciousness paves the way for spirituality, and allows us, as human beings, to reap the rewards, and anxieties, of living in what Humphrey calls the "soul niche." Tightly argued, intellectually gripping, and a joy to read, Soul Dust provides answers to the deepest questions. It shows how the problem of consciousness merges with questions that obsess us all—how life should be lived and the fear of death. Resting firmly on neuroscience and evolutionary theory, and drawing a wealth of insights from philosophy and literature, Soul Dust is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work—one that never loses sight of the majesty and wonder of consciousness.
Humphrey's principal paper is followed by commentaries on Humphrey's theory, which consist of ten essays by various authors, and then followed by Humphrey's reply to commentators.
Where does consciousness come from? What is it? Where is it taking us? In 1971 Nicholas Humphrey spent three months at Dian Fossey's gorilla research centre in Rwanda. It was there, among the mountain gorillas that he began to focus on the philosophical and scientific puzzle that has fascinated him ever since: the problem of how a human being or animal can know what it is like to be itself. The Inner Eye describes where these original speculations led: to Humphrey's now celebrated theories of the 'social function of intellect' and of human beings as natural born 'mind-readers'. Easy to read, adorned with Mel Calman's brilliant illustrations, passionately argued, yet never less than scientifically profound, this book remains the best introduction to new thinking about 'theory of mind' and its implication for human social life.
This book, the first by one of England's outstanding experimental psychologists, brings together a selection of essays on human consciousness, self-knowledge, aesthetics, religion, parapsychology, philosophy of mind, and the atom bomb. Throughout, Humphrey is concerned with the evolution of mind, and he puts forth the theory that self-awareness developed because it is biologically advantageous. "Fluently and pleasantly written, often enlivened by wit, always easy to follow." --Times Literary Supplement. "Always stimulating and fun to read. ... Humphrey writes with elegance and force, and ... his ideas ... are always stimulating. Even the reader who disagrees with his arguments will derive pleasure." --Nature
Whether you already own a small or medium business, or you are thinking of buying or starting one, The Penguin Small Business Guide is your first step to success. This new edition will keep you up-to-date with the changing face of Australian small business. In this practical, easy-to-understand guide, Nicholas Humphrey gives advice on:preparing a business planeffective marketing and public relations strategieshow to comply with the new workplace relations legislationunderstanding your key legal and regulatory obligationsmaking the most of the Internet and e-commercepreparing financial statements and forecastsraising moneyminimising risk exposure and tax obligationsThis book also includes fascinating case studies of successful business owners – from Dick Smith and Gerry Harvey in Australia to Richard Branson and Bill Gates internationally. With its detailed examples, valuable checklists and contact details, this essential guide unlocks the secrets of small business.
Whether you already own a small or medium business, or you are thinking of buying or starting one, The Penguin Small Business Guide is your first step to success. This new edition will keep you up-to-date with the changing face of Australian small business. In this practical, easy-to-understand guide, Nicholas Humphrey gives advice on: preparing a business plan effective marketing and public relations strategies how to comply with the new workplace relations legislation understanding your key legal and regulatory obligations making the most of the Internet and e-commerce preparing financial statements and forecasts raising money minimising risk exposure and tax obligations This book also includes fascinating case studies of successful business owners - from Dick Smith and Gerry Harvey in Australia to Richard Branson and Bill Gates internationally. With its detailed examples, valuable checklists and contact details, this essential guide unlocks the secrets of small business. 'You don't have to read much past this first few pages of this book to realise it is a thoroughly researched, meticulously verified work.' – Sydney Morning Herald
This book is a tour-de-force on how human consciousness may have evolved. From the "phantom pain" experienced by people who have lost their limbs to the uncanny faculty of "blindsight," Humphrey argues that raw sensations are central to all conscious states and that consciousness must have evolved, just like all other mental faculties, over time from our ancestors'bodily responses to pain and pleasure. "Humphrey is one of that growing band of scientists who beat literary folk at their own game"-RICHARD DAWKINS "A wonderful bookbrilliant, unsettling, and beautifully written. Humphrey cuts bravely through the currents of contemporary thinking, opening up new vistas on old problems offering a feast of provocative ideas." -DANIEL DENNETT
In a series of essays, Nicholas Humphrey invites us to take another look at a variety of central and not-so-central issues, of contemporary psychology including: the evolution of consciousness, multiple personality disorder and cave art.
Elegant and literate" -THE TIMES OF LONDON "The kind of book that both skeptics and believers would do well to read"- SKEPTICAL INQUIRER "An urbane, original, convincing rebuttal of paranormal and supernatural notions" -NEW SCIENTIST "A lively, entertaining book... Humphrey has set himself a larger task than simply explaining why people believe in parapsychology: the task of explaining why it is irrational to believe in it."-NATURE
With over 40,000 copies sold, The Penguin Australian Home Buyer's Guide is the essential resource for buying a home or investment property. This updated edition has all the latest facts on the key legal and financial issues involved when purchasing real estate. Nicholas Humphrey explains in plain English where and when to buy, the hidden costs and how to save on your mortgage. This practical guide contains advice on everything you need to know about property investment, such as: bull; How to use the Net to find the right property bull; How to inspect a property bull; How much you can afford to borrow bull; How much you will have to pay for transaction costs bull; How to negative gear bull; How to apply for your First Home Owner Grant bull; How to go about selling your homeCritics have praised Nicolas Humphrey's knack of seeing things from the consumer's perspective. With The Penguin Australian Home Buyer's Guide, buying or selling your home needn't be a daunting process.
With almost 50, 000 copies now sold, The Australian Home Buyer's Guide is the essential resource for buying a home or investment property. This revised and updated edition contains all the latest facts on the key legal and financial issues that purchasing real estate entails. In plain English, Nicholas Humphrey describes how home loans work, where and when to buy, and the hidden costs involved. Read this practical guide for advice on everything you need to know about property investment, including: bull; How to avoid pitfalls at inspections bull; How much to borrow bull; How much to pay for transaction costs bull; How much to pay for transaction costs bull; How to negative gear bull; How to benefit from a falling market bull; How to go about selling your home
The Pocket Home Buyer's Guide is a quick and easy way to have the most important information about buying and selling a home at your fingertips. It takes you step by step through the process of buying and selling your home, explaining the legal and financial issues, such as selecting a mortgage, the auction process and exchanging contracts. Buying or selling a home needn't be a daunting process - with The Pocket Home Buyer's Guide you will have a concise summary of the key issues, and can make the most important purchase of your life an informed decision.
A practical guide to starting up and operating a high-growth business. It explains in plain English the key legal, financial, structural and marketing issues involved, and provides advice and step-by-step instructions to ensure success from concept to launch.
Participation in religious liturgies and rituals is a pervasive and remarkably complex form of human activity. This book opens with a discussion of the nature of liturgical activity and then explores various dimensions of such activity. Over the past fifty years there has been a remarkable surge of interest, within the analytic tradition of philosophy, in philosophy of religion. Most of what has been written by participants in this movement deals with one or another aspect of religious belief. Yet for most adherents of most religions, participation in the liturgies and rituals of their religion is at least as important as what they believe. One of the aims of this book is to call the attention of philosophers of religion to the importance of religious practice and to demonstrate how rich a topic this is for philosophical reflection. Another aim is to show liturgical scholars who are not philosophers that a philosophical approach to liturgy casts an illuminating light on the topic that supplements their own approach. Insofar as philosophers have written about liturgy, they have focused most of their attention on its formative and expressive functions. This book focuses instead on understanding what liturgical agents actually do. It is what they do that functions formatively or expressively. What they do is basic.
Humphrey's principal paper is followed by commentaries on Humphrey's theory, which consist of ten essays by various authors, and then followed by Humphrey's reply to commentators.
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