Being You (a New Science Of Consciousness (the Sunday Times Bestseller))

By (author) Anil Seth; By (author) Seth Anil
Short description/annotation:
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.
Description:

A GUARDIAN, ECONOMIST, NEW STATESMAN, FINANCIAL TIMES AND BLOOMBERG BOOK OF THE YEAR

''I loved it.'' MICHAEL POLLAN
''Fascinating.'' FINANCIAL TIMES
''Awe-inspring.'' NEW STATESMAN
''Brilliant.'' CLAIRE TOMALIN, NEW YORK TIMES
''A brilliant beast of a book.'' DAVID BYRNE
''Hugely important.'' JIM AL-KHALILI
''Gripping.'' ALEX GARLAND
''Masterly . . . Vast-ranging, phenomenal.'' GAIA VINCE, GUARDIAN

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.

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

Biographical note:
Anil Seth is a leading British researcher in the field of consciousness science. He is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Program on Brain, Mind and Consciousness, and a European Research Council Advanced Investigator. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, New Scientist, Scientific American and Granta, and his 2017 TED talk has been viewed nearly 13 million times. @anilkseth.
Promotional headline:
The Sunday Times bestselling Being You is an accessible, inspiring and eye-opening exploration of the brain by one of the most remarkable pioneers working in science today.
Review quote: previous edition:
A brilliant beast of a book. A wide ranging synthesis pulling together disparate stands from philosophy, science, literature, personal experience and speculation - this latter being the most exciting for me, despite some proposals being as yet unproven. Seth proposes to explain not just what and how we are, but probably provocative for some folks, why we are the way we are. Why do we have the feeling of continually being the same person? (when obviously I, at least, am not) Why do we have this feeling of being self aware? What is it for? Hugely inspirational - I filled up 10 pages with exuberant notes. Keep a pencil handy.
Review quote: previous edition:

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.

Review quote: previous edition:
Anil Seth thinks clearly and sharply on one of the hardest problems of science