The Race for Consciousness (Bradford Books)

Incorporating centuries of thought and decades of research into one model of consciousness is no easy feat, but neural network guru John Taylor puts it all together in The Race for Consciousness. Suggesting early on that no scientific endeavor has ever succeeded without a clear goal in sight, he takes care to specify the aims he thinks consciousness researchers should have in mind when pursuing their work; his definitions and boundaries, while not uncontroversial, are thought-provoking. From there he outlines previous stabs at theories and is unrelenting in exposing their strengths and weaknesses.

Taylor builds a theory of his own on this sturdy foundation--he proposes a relational model in which interactions between different brain states inevitably create the subjective feeling that we call consciousness. His command of the field of research is impressive, drawing on physics, computer science, philosophy, biology, and medicine, but he is always scrupulous when acknowledging gaps in the data or potential challenges to his ideas. The reader must be prepared to be flexible and patient; Taylor's ideas take time to build and his model is much stronger for it. The rewards of persistence are rich, though--this just might be the groundbreaking work from which our next scientific Renaissance grows. Taylor admits he has only taken the first step toward his goal, but expects there to be many more runners in the race for consciousness. --Rob Lightner