The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning

Human consciousness, as described by Bor, a neuroscientist and research fellow at the University of Sussex, is an evolutionary outgrowth of the brain’s search for information and uncovering patterns in the world around us. He argues compellingly that this confers an evolutionary advantage and that “it evolved, like almost everything else in nature, in an incremental way.” He goes on to explain the mechanisms the brain uses to increase its efficacy at this task, focusing most on the concept of chunking, or finding ways to bring coherence to a large amount of data. Though others have capably presented the relationship between brain and mind, and the functions of various portions of the brain, Bor does it so effectively that the material remains fresh. He explores how our brains differ both from computer programs and from other animals (such as apes, crows, and octopi) that are also self-aware. “Perhaps what most distinguishes us humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is our ravenous desire to find structure in the information we pick up in the world.” Bor balances neuroscience with comparative biology, and philosophy with psychology while writing in a fully engaging conversational style. Agent: Peter Tallack, the Science Factory (U.K.). (Aug.)