Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It

In this challenging head-trip, neuroscientist Koch (The Feeling of Life) opines on the nature of consciousness. He makes the case for integrated information theory, which holds that “consciousness is unfolded intrinsic causal power,” or “the ability to effect change.” Unfortunately, the theory’s nuances get lost in the jargon-filled discussion that follows (“What exists for itself is the spatio-temporal grain that maximizes integrated information”). Koch fares better when addressing more tangible issues. For instance, he tackles the question of when consciousness begins by noting that though preterm infants will respond reflexively to certain stimuli, they don’t wake up if pricked to draw blood until “well into the third trimester,” suggesting that’s when consciousness, or at least the conscious experience of pain, begins. Refuting the possibility that digital technology can become sentient, Koch argues that the three or four connections between each transistor in a digital computer are too primitive to compare with the hundreds of thousands of connections between neurons in the mammalian brain. Elsewhere, the author discusses the power of psychedelics to expand the mind and the difficulties of determining if unresponsive hospital patients are conscious. While the theoretical material is frustratingly dense, the more down-to-earth sections intrigue. This will spark conversation, if not always understanding. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group. (May)