The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human

Joseph LeDoux argues that ideas like the self are increasingly barriers to discovery and understanding. He offers a new framework, theorizing four realms of existence—bodily, neural, cognitive, and conscious. Together, these four realms operate continuously as an “ensemble of being” to make humans who and what we are. Contents Preface Introduction: Who Are You? PART I OUR REALMS OF EXISTENCE 1 What Is a Human Being? 2 “Self ” Doubt 3 The Personality Contest 4 It’s Only Words 5 A Path Forward PART II THE BIOLOGICAL REALM 6 The Secret of Life 7 Bodies 8 The Duality of Biological Existence PART III THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL REALM 9 It Took Nerve 10 Vertebrates and Their Nervous Systems 11 Romer’s Rendition 12 Viscerology 13 The Behavioral Thoroughfare PART IV THE COGNITIVE REALM 14 Internalizing the External World 15 What Is Cognition? 16 Mental Models 17 Model-Based Cognition in Evolution 18 Foraging in the Mind 19 The Cognitive Brain PART V THE CONSCIOUS REALM 20 Is Consciousness Mysterious? 21 Kinds of Consciousness 22 Making Consciousness Meaningful 23 Fact-Knowing and Self-Knowing Consciousness 24 Non-Knowing Consciousness 25 What Consciousness Might Be Like in Other Animals 26 The Stories We Tell Ourselves, and Others Selected Sources and Further Reading Index