Home Books The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Con…

The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness

The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness

by Mark Solms

W. W. Norton & Company ·2021 ·432 pages ·Science
Near the Top
Near the Top
I Index
52/99
Maybe Someday

40/99

Critics

Near the Top

64/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

27/99

Rating

52/99

Volume

81/99

Rating

46/99

Volume

Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.


About This Book

For Mark Solms, one of the boldest thinkers in contemporary neuroscience, discovering how consciousness comes about has been a lifetime's quest. Scientists consider it the "hard problem" because it seems an impossible task to understand why we feel a subjective sense of self and how it arises in the brain. Venturing into the elementary physics of life, Solms has now arrived at an astonishing answer. In The Hidden Spring, he brings forward his discovery in accessible language and graspable analogies. Solms is a frank and fearless guide on an extraordinary voyage from the dawn of neuropsychology and psychoanalysis to the cutting edge of contemporary neuroscience, adhering to the medically provable. But he goes beyond other neuroscientists by paying close attention to the subjective experiences of hundreds of neurological patients, many of whom he treated, whose uncanny conversations expose much about the brain's obscure reaches. Most importantly, you will be able to recognize the workings of your own mind for what they really are, including every stray thought, pulse of emotion, and shift of attention. The Hidden Spring will profoundly alter your understanding of your own subjective experience.


Preview


Reviews

"perhaps this is to say no more than that this fascinating, wide-ranging and heartfelt book does not succeed in dumping cold explanatory water on every last mystery of human existence."

Oliver Burkeman· The Guardian Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Drawing on extensive cognitive science research — much of it his own — Solms argues that Freud's theories anticipate some key findings in current brain research."

Jess Keiser· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"As best I could, I stuck with him, and learned something along the way ..."

Rachel Andrews· The Irish Times Read review ↗ Near the Top

"In part, this is because of its language ..."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

"Solms concludes with a somewhat manically written discussion of the ethics of a conscious machine, complete with a plan for what he'd do if he were able to build one...His theory is complex, as is his writing...Still, readers who stay the course will find much to consider."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

Reader Reviews

0 reviews

Sign in to write a review.

No reader reviews yet. Be the first!