Being You A New Science of Consciousness (the Sunday Times Bestseller)

Anil Seth's radical new theory of consciousness challenges our understanding of perception and reality, doing for brain science what Dawkins did for evolutionary biology. Consciousness is the great unsolved mystery in our scientific understanding of the brain. Somewhere, somehow, inscribed in the brain is everything that makes you you . But how do we grasp what happens in the brain to turn mere electrical impulses into the vast range of perceptions, thoughts and emotions we feel from moment to moment? Anil Seth, one of Britain's leading neuroscientists , charts the developments in our understanding of consciousness , revealing radical interdisciplinary breakthroughs that must transform the way we think about the self . Drawing on his original research and collaborations with cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, brain imagers, virtual reality wizards, mathematicians and philosophers, he puts forward an exhilarating new theory about how we experience the world that should encourage us to view ourselves as less apart from and more a part of the rest of nature. Seth's revolutionary framework for consciousness will turn what you thought you knew about yourself on its head. Anil Seth's Radical New Theory Of Consciousness Challenges Our Understanding Of Perception And Reality, Doing For Brain Science What Dawkins Did For Evolutionary Biology. 'a Brilliant Beast Of A Book. Seth Proposes To Explain Not Just What And How We Are, But Why We Are The Way We Are. Hugely Inspirational.' David Byrne 'insightful And Profound. The Nature Of Consciousness Is Still One Of The Hardest Problems In Science, But Anil Seth Brings Us Closer Than Ever Before To The Answer. This A Hugely Important Book.' Jim Al-khalili 'anil Seth Thinks Clearly And Sharply On One Of The Hardest Problems Of Science And Philosophy, Cutting Through Weeds With A Scientist's Mind And A Storyteller's Skill.' Adam Rutherford 'seth Provokes Us To Think About Thinking . . . Readable, Relatable, And Gripping.' Alex Garland, Director Of Ex Machina Being You Is Not As Simple As It Sounds. Somehow, Within Each Of Our Brains, Billions Of Neurons Work To Create Our Conscious Experience. How Does This Happen? Why Do We Experience Life In The First Person? After Over Twenty Years Researching The Brain, World-renowned Neuroscientist Anil Seth Puts Forward A Radical New Theory Of Consciousness And Self. His Unique Theory Of What It Means To 'be You' Challenges Our Understanding Of Perception And Reality And It Turns What You Thought You Knew About Yourself On Its Head. 'a Fascinating Book. A Joy To Read. Anil Seth Explores Fundamental Questions About Consciousness And The Self From The Perspective Of A Philosophically-informed Neuroscientist. Highly Recommended.' Nigel Warburton 'offers A New Cause For Astonishment And Wonder . . . A Must-read For Anyone Seeking A Better Understanding Of The Brain And How Nature Sculpts The Human Exprerience.' Annaka Harris, Author Of Conscious 'few People Are As Well Positioned As Anil Seth To Tackle The Question Of Consciousness. Beautifully Written, Crystal Clear, Deeply Insightful.' David Eagleman, Pulitzer Prize-nominated Author Of Livewired 'truly Compelling.' Professor Karl Friston, Universty College London 'a Wonderfully Accessible And Comprehensive Account Of How Our Minds Capture The World, And How That Makes Us Who We Are.' Sean Carroll, Author Of Something Deeply Hidden A BOOK OF THE YEAR GUARDIAN, THE ECONOMIST, NEW STATESMAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, BLOOMBERG Anil Seth's radical new theory of consciousness challenges our understanding of perception and reality, doing for brain science what Dawkins did for evolutionary biology. 'A brilliant beast of a book.' DAVID BYRNE 'Hugely important.' JIM AL-KHALILI 'Masterly . . . An exhilarating book: a vast-ranging, phenomenal achievement that will undoubtedly become a seminal text.' GAIA VINCE, GUARDIAN Being You is not as simple as it sounds. Somehow, within each of our brains, billions of neurons work to create our conscious experience. How does this happen? Why do we experience life in the first person? After over twenty years researching the brain, world-renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth puts forward a radical new theory of consciousness and self. His unique theory of what it means to 'be you' challenges our understanding of perception and reality and it turns what you thought you knew about yourself on its head. 'Seth thinks clearly and sharply on one of the hardest problems of science and philosophy, cutting through weeds with a scientist's mind and a storyteller's skill.' ADAM RUTHERFORD 'A page-turner and a mind-blower . . . Beautifully written, crystal clear, deeply insightful.' DAVID EAGLEMAN 'If you read one book about conciousness, it must be Seth's. JULIAN BAGGINI, WALL STREET JOURNAL 'Gripping.' ALEX GARLAND 'I loved it.' MICHAEL POLLAN 'Fascinating.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Awe-inspring.' NEW STATESMAN 'Brilliant.' CLAIRE TOMALIN, NEW YORK TIMES Being You by Anil Seth explores his theory of consciousness and the self. Seth proposes that perception does not happen outside-in, with external physical signals being detected and processed to constitute our view of the world, but rather inside-out, with the brain constantly generating predictions of sensory inputs and only registering surprises. According to Seth, consciousness arises from the brain's "predictive processing" of the world, whereby it constantly generates hypotheses about the causes of its own sensory inputs. Our sense of self and subjective experience emerge from the brain's attempts to unify and explain the multisensory information it receives. The book examines how this predictive model of the brain can account for phenomena like qualia, delusions, and altered states of consciousness. Seth also discusses the implications of this view for understanding animal consciousness as well as the potential for machines to develop consciousness. **Anil Seth's radical new theory of consciousness challenges our understanding of perception and reality, doing for brain science what Dawkins did for evolutionary biology.****Consciousness** you**electrical impulses****perceptions, thoughts and emotions** **Anil Seth,** **neuroscientists****consciousness** **self****cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, brain imagers, virtual reality wizards, mathematicians and philosophers,****new theory** __from____of__ **revolutionary** **will turn what you thought you knew about yourself on its head.**