Put Some Focus on 'Consciousness'

Don't like to read the same book that everybody else does? Neither do we! At this monthly book club meeting, we discuss any book on a particular theme. Themes in the past have been all over the map: mysteries, Japan, the economy, France, the decline of the middle class, short stories, and US spy agencies. Our topic for September is consciousness, with strong cross-pollination with neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Participants are invited to read any recent book on this topic. This topic is amazing for exploring our minds versus our brains, how much of our thoughts are conscious, where our 'self' is, how thoughts are formed, the possibility of truly knowing how we appear to others, and exploring what else might or might not have consciousness (apes? dolphins? dogs? trees? the planet?). Be forewarned that reading about this topic may alter who you think 'you' are, and why you do the things you do.

Here are some suggested books, to give you ideas on what to read:

Consciousness: An Introduction, by Susan Blackmore, 2011

Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes our Thoughts, by Stanislas Dehaene, 2014

Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious, by Timothy D. Wilson, 2004

A Skeptic's Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves, by Robert Burton, 2013

Out of Our Heads: Why You are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness, by Alva Noe, 2010

The Quest for Consciousness, by Christoff Koch, 2004

Varieties of Presence, by Alva Noe, 2012

Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist, Christoff Koch, 2012

Self Comes to Mind: Construction of the Conscious Brain, by Antonion Damasio, 2012

The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning, by Daniel Bor, 2012

Conversations on Consciousness: What the Best Minds Think About the Brain, Free Will, and What it Means to be Human, by Susan Blackmore, 2007

We'll meet at a member's house that is near the intersection of the 55, 73 and 405 freeways. There's plenty of street parking. The meeting will overlap with the dinner hour, so please bring a main dish, side dish, dessert, or drink to share, potluck style. I'll send out directions and a contact phone number twice in the week before the event to people who RSVP 'yes'. The discussions are always lively and engaging, and we tend to finish by 9 pm. If you'd like, bring food to share, and your suggestions for next month's topic to the meeting.