This book will encourage the general reader to appreciate current issues in this exciting area of modern research, and will also help a wide variety of scientists - from chemists and biochemists to psychologists and ethnologists- see how their detailed studies are related to an understanding of the nature of consciousness.

Preface.- Acknowledgments.- List of Figures.- List of Tables.- Introduction.- Quantum Physics, Chemistry, and Consciousness: Quantum physics.- Chemistry.- Quantum consciousness.- References.- The Chemistry of Life: Biomolecular structures.- Blomolecular dynamics.- Is life based on the laws of physics?- References.- The Nerve Afire: Nerve membrane dynamics.- Nonlinear diffusion.- The Hodgkin-Huxley equations.- Neurodynamics.- References.- Is There a Computer In Your Head?: The McCulloch-Pitts neuron.- Dendritic and axonal computing.- Synaptic transmission.- The multiplex neuron.- A real neuron.- Quantum effects?- Can a neuron be modeled on a computer?- References.- 'An Enchanted Loom': A brief look at the brain.- Layered structures.- The Perceptron.- The cell assembly.- The hierarchy of cell assemblies.- The cell assembly revisited.- The nature of thought.- Cortical Stimulation.- A deeper question.- References.- A Century of Brain-Mind Theory: William James.- George Santayana.- Behaviorism.- Donald Hebb.- Erwin Schrödinger.- Can a machine think?- Are we machines?- Forebrain commissurotomy.- Karl Popper and John Eccles.- Blindsight.- Roger Penrose.- Francis Crick and Christof Koch.- Daniel Dennett.- John Searle.- Erich Harth.- Henry Stapp.- Eccles throws down the gauntlet.- Crick replies.- The hard problem.- References.- 'A Great Arc' of Possibilities: The birth of American anthropology.- Cultural configurations.- Coming of age in Samoa.- Cultural relativity.- Anthropology and modern life.- Ethics.- Biological and cultural evolution.- References.- Toward an Emergent Theory of Consciousness: Credo.- Quantum consciousness and scientific determinism.- Conservation of energy in the mind?- Materialism.- Functionalism.- Dualism.- The locus of consciousness.- Artificial intelligence.- Two dreams.- References.- 'Then I Tell Them What I Told Them':Recapitulation.- Final comments.- Appendices: Nonlinearity and Emergence.- The Mathematics of Quantum Theory.- The Born-Oppenheimer Approximation.- Local Modes.- Schrödinger's Cat.- Linear and Nonlinear Diffusion.- The Hodgkin-Huxley Equations.- Counting Neural Networks.- An Incomplete Physical Theory.- References.- Index.

Human consciousness has perplexed philosophers, artists and scientists for centuries. Some hold it to be purely physical, while others believe it transcends the material world. Now comes a book that offers a new perspective - based entirely on evidence from the natural sciences - whereby materialism and dualism co-exist. The author - a distinguished pioneer of nonlinear dynamics - bases his argument on a hierarchical view of mental organization; a stairway. Atoms give rise to molecules, neurons form the brain and individual consciousness leads to shared culture. All steps are needed to complete the picture and each level derives from the previous one. The book shows specialists how each of their fields adds to the overall picture, while providing general readers with an introduction to this investigation.