Cover Image: March 2004 Scientific American Magazine See Inside

The Major Unsolved Problem in Biology [Preview]

Three books try to explain consciousness















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The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach
by Christof Koch
Roberts & Company Publishers, Englewood, Colo., 2004

Wider Than the Sky: The Phenomenal Gift of Consciousness
by Gerald M. Edelman
Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn., 2004

Consciousness: An Introduction
by Susan Blackmore
Oxford University Press, New York, 2004" data-pin-do="buttonBookmark">

The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach
by Christof Koch
Roberts & Company Publishers, Englewood, Colo., 2004

Wider Than the Sky: The Phenomenal Gift of Consciousness
by Gerald M. Edelman
Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn., 2004

Consciousness: An Introduction
by Susan Blackmore
Oxford University Press, New York, 2004 Image:

When he was still a student, Richard Feynman hinted at a career to come as a scientific wonderer when he wrote: "I wonder why. I wonder why. / I wonder why I wonder / I wonder why I wonder why / I wonder why I wonder!"

Such wondering, and meta-wondering, takes us to the heart of what geneticist-cum-neuroscientist Francis Crick (who would know) calls "the major unsolved problem in biology"--explaining how billions of neurons swapping chemicals give rise to such subjective experiences as consciousness, self-awareness, and awareness that others are conscious and self-aware.


This article was originally published with the title The Major Unsolved Problem in Biology.



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