Introduction to the site and blog

After a busy time of late with a baby daughter to help look after, some demanding academic tasks, and the final revisions of my first book to hand in, I now have a bit of spare time to start the kind of website I’ve been meaning to write for years. You’ll already be able to have a look around and discover a bit about me and my publications, both academic and general interest.  But the main purpose of this website will be the blog.

I plan mainly to blog about my own field, cognitive neuroscience, with a particular focus on consciousness research. Speaking of which, my first series of posts will provide an introduction to consciousness from various angles, and the provisional plan for this is:

1)      Consciousness’s background and import

2)      The philosophy of consciousness and science’s response

3)      How one goes about scientifically testing consciousness (in general terms), followed by:

4)      One prominent scientific paper on consciousness, which I will go through step by step.

5)      My own views on the subject, which relate to my book, The Ravenous Brain

At the same time, though, I plan to blog on any intriguing scientific papers or stories I find, or on progress in my own research, as well as any activities I participate in that others might want to hear about.

And the advantage of having one’s own website means I have the freedom to write whatever I like – I’m a passionate person, with an over-active mind and too many opinions, so some of these will no doubt spill over onto these pages as well!

I’m excited about this new avenue to communicate my views and really hope that you’re not shy to comment, so that we can have lots of discussions along the way.

8 comments

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    • Moni Schmidt on March 2, 2012 at 4:26 pm
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    Hello Daniel,
    This point of your introduction meets my interests in a special way, ’cause in my topic “school education” it’s a very important and basic aspect of motivation for learning:
    “5) My own views on the subject, which relate to my book, The Ravenous Brain”

    I’m glad to start on your blog from the very beginning and I’m looking forward to read your news …
    Good luck!
    Greetings out of the southeastern corner of Germany :-))

    1. Thanks for the comment and warm wishes, Moni.

    • Peter Anderton on March 2, 2012 at 8:24 pm
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    Looking forward to your book, Dan. Expecting to hear you popping up on the Today show soon. Shame the Royal Institution Christmas lectures 2011 were on the brain. Maybe you can do 2021?

    1. Thanks Pete! I hope everything’s good with you and the family.

    • Anthony Sebastian on March 5, 2012 at 4:41 am
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    Daniel, re “One prominent scientific paper on consciousness, which I will go through step by step”: Will you give us the reference so we can pre-read if we wish.

    1. Good idea. I’ll do this the week/blog before, but the blog entry itself will be designed so that no prior knowledge is necessary, and hopefully so that anyone can understand the relevant details of the paper, from my explanation.

    • Bill Gigac on October 24, 2012 at 6:51 pm
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    I’ve just begun reading your writings and will continue while looking forward to your observations. After much study on the subject of consciousness I’ve found myself immersed in the works of Henri Bergson, Mind and Memory, Time and Free Will and Creative Evolution. Have you read him and if so what would be your comments, in brief of course. Will Philosophy and Science ever reconcile?

    1. Hi Bill,

      Thanks for the comment. In chapter 1 of my book, I try critically to describe the main philosophical arguments relating to consciousness, so you might like to have a look there. As for whether philosophy and science ever reconcile, as with so many other things, it all depends on your definitions of each. But in short, at the science of consciousness conferences I attend, philosophers actively participate, either in the discussions or by giving talks interpreting scientific data. There are also experimental philosophers, especially in the field of ethics, who straddle the two worlds.

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