Stairway to the Mind: The Controversial New Science of Consciousness

What struck me most from the book was the fact that all sciences are separated by barriers. From quantum physics to chemistry to biology, the author tries to build a coherent structure of thought to guide us towards understanding consciousness. However, there are gaps between these sciences and I believe that only "The Theory of Everything" can bridge these gaps if it is ever discovered one day. Indeed I tend to agree with the author that consciousness cannot be explained by just one theory monopolized by one field of science. As he put it: "Like life, the phenomenon of consciousness is intimately related to several levels of the scientific hierarchy, so the appropriate scientists-cytologists, electrophysiologists, neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, anesthesiologists, socialogists and ethnologists-should be working together. It is difficult to see how this elusive phenomenon might otherwise be understood."

This is one of the most significant books on the nature of consciousness scince the appearence of William James's "Principles of Sychology" and Erwin Schroedinger's "Mind and Matter". Combining the best of classical knowledge of the mind, with the insights of contemporary Nonlinear Science, this book provides a provides a perspective from which matieralism and dualism are no longer contradictory views. For anyone who is in anyway at all interesed in consciousness or any related subjects, this book is an absolute must! Written in fully comprehensible language, it belongs on the bookshelf of all those interested in the subject, newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.

Critical comments on STAIRWAY TO THE MIND are availabel at "http://www.imm.dtu.dk/documents/users/acs/book2.html".