The origin of consciousness and beyond

Abstract

Reviews the book The Origin of Consciousness by Graham Little (2014). The origin of consciousness is one the most intractable mysteries about the human mind, because of its intrinsic conceptual and theoretical difficulties. By adopting a truly multidisciplinary approach, the author tackles this problem in an original and accessible book. The author endorses the view that consciousness can only be discussed from within a general theory of psychology. He therefore devotes the first part of his book to the development of a sound methodology which can be used to create a psychological theory of the person. The second part of the book explores the consequences of the psychological theory of the person to the multifaceted nature of humankind. The themes covered by the book reflect the breadth of the theory’s implications. A few examples include epistemology and the problem of knowledge, perception, psychological theory, free will, dreaming, learning, intelligence, artificial intelligence, spirituality, mental illness, causality, and modern physics. In consideration of its breadth, this book embraces a wide readership, which includes, but is not restricted to, psychologists, social scientists, philosophers, and neuroscientists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)