ON CONSCIOUSNESS

Baars’ (Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2012, etc.) compendium reprints four of the experimental psychologist’s previous works and concludes with a revised statement of a previously stated theory.

In 1983, the author first introduced “Global Workspace Theory,” which he defines here as “a broad framework for the role of conscious experiences in the functioning of the brain.” This collection, intended to be read by both general and academic audiences, includes four sections. The opening one reprints a 2015 Scholarpedia article that defines consciousness and defends it as a field worthy of scientific study despite nearly a century of dismissal by behaviorists such as B.F. Skinner. Baars places his research into context alongside the work of philosopher and psychologist William James; neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield; and neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal. The second section is an updated introduction to Global Workspace Theory, which originally appeared in the Journal of Consciousness Studies in 1997. In it, the author uses the theater as his metaphor for how the brain’s cortico-thalamic core stands ready—like an audience—to create consciousness from sensory input. The third section reprints the author’s 1988 book A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness, which uses contrastive analysis to derive empirical evidence about consciousness. The collection closes with a 2013 article from Frontiers in Psychology that explains the updated terminology of his “Dynamic Global Workspace Theory” and incorporates modern evidence regarding brain activity. Throughout, the author uses diagrams and color illustrations to help clarify discussions about specific areas of the brain as well as attention frameworks, as when he states that “Some goals are more stable over time: In general, survival has a higher priority than avoiding boredom.” This lengthy book is perhaps too thorough to be a reader’s first trip through the wilds of cognitive science, but Baars’ compilation will be suitably challenging for those who’ve previously enjoyed such popular-science books as Luke Dittrich’s 2016 work Patient H.M. The author is humorously engaging while drawing readers into his complex studies, as when he notes that “consciousness science still resembles sex in the Victorian age: We know it’s there, but we tend to evade it.” Within the text, he poses simple experiments for readers to try, such as attempting to “stop your inner speech for ten seconds.” Baars also presents evidence for consciousness in animals and refutes the concept of consciousness in machines: “Computer programs that seem to act like conscious beings do not provide empirical proof. The map is not the territory.” The third section is perhaps the most formidable one, as its greater length allows the author to offer more depth and breadth to his overall presentation. The Global Workspace Theory reveals insights into such subjects as PTSD and why rote activities, such as walking, stop impinging on the conscious mind enough to permit a second, simultaneous activity, such as listening to music. Some of the illustrations (by the author and by third-party sources) are beautiful and astonishingly detailed.

A valuable reference for technical audiences and a vigorous intellectual hike for the layman.