Table of Contents

Part I: The Theory
Chapter 1: The magic trick
Chapter 2: Introducing the theory
Chapter 3: Awareness as information
Chapter 4: Being aware versus knowing that you are aware
Chapter 5: The attention schema
Chapter 6: Illusions and myths
Chapter 7: Social attention
Chapter 8: How do I distinguish my awareness from yours?
Chapter 9: Some useful complexities

Part II: Comparison to previous theories and results
Chapter 10: Social theories of consciousness
Chapter 11: Consciousness as integrated information
Chapter 12: Neural correlates of consciousness
Chapter 13: Awareness and the machinery for social perception
Chapter 14: The neglect syndrome
Chapter 15: Multiple interlocking functions of the brain area TPJ
Chapter 16: Simulating other minds
Chapter 17: Some spiritual matters
Chapter 18: Explaining the magic trick

About the Author

Michael S. A. Graziano, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Princeton University, is an internationally renowned scientist and an award-winning novelist. His books include the popular science title God, Soul, Mind, Brain and the short novels The Divine Farce, The Love Song of Monkey, and Death My Own Way.

Reviews

"The author offers an engaging and accessible explanation of his theory. Rather than merely touting its merits, he aims to show how it is compatible with other popular theories. Avoiding technical details, he uses anecdotes, drawings, and metaphors to convey an understanding of the important concepts. [This book] turns the field's contemporary wisdom on its head, and from its new vantage point one has the sense that an answer to the problem of consciousness
might be in sight. Graziano's attention schema theory marks a milestone by offering a plausible, mechanistic answer to the hard problem." --Aaron Schurger, Science Magazine
"Graziano proposes a new and intriguing theory of consciousness... [He] guides readers step-by-step through his captivating and convincing theory of consciousness, explaining how the theory accounts for many oddities in human perception. This book is an essential read for anyone interested in consciousness from either a scientific or philosophical perspective." --Library Journal
"In most scientific theories, awareness emerges from the physical functioning of the brain, almost like heat rising from circuits. Laid out in his recent book...Graziano's theory takes a completely different approach to explaining consciousness. 'In this theory, the brain is an information-processing device. It doesn't produce non-physical essences -- it computes information,' Graziano said. Graziano has given consciousness a more solid footing in the real,
tangible world even if it remains a creation of the brain, Schurger said. 'If anything, his theory stands to demystify consciousness, in the same way that our understanding of genetics and self-organizing
systems has begun to demystify 'life,' which was once thought to depend on an unseen force.'" --Morgan Kelly, Princeton University News
"There are many rewards to this text... Graziano's work is in important step in bridging a persistent gap between mind and brain in interdisciplinary research, notably because he attempts to answer the questions that require asking, and he does so with a remarkable level of humility."
--Metapsychology