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How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve? And why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust, the psychologist Nicholas Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, proposes a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us and makes us feel special and transcendent. Thus consciousness paves the way for spirituality, and allows us, as human beings, to reap the rewards, and anxieties, of living in what Humphrey calls the "soul niche.? Tightly argued, intellectually gripping, and a joy to read, Soul Dust provides answers to the deepest questions. It shows how the problem of consciousness merges with questions that obsess us all--how life should be lived and the fear of death. Resting firmly on neuroscience and evolutionary theory, and drawing a wealth of insights from philosophy and literature, Soul Dust is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work--one that never loses sight of the majesty and wonder of consciousness.

Consciousness. --- Bewusstsein. --- Evolution. --- Theorie. --- Consciousness --- Apperception --- Mind and body --- Perception --- Philosophy --- Psychology --- Spirit --- Self --- Aldous Huxley. --- Analogy. --- Anthony Marcel. --- Anthropologist. --- Behavior. --- Buddhism. --- Cheating death. --- Childlessness. --- Chimpanzee. --- Christopher Isherwood. --- Concept. --- Culture. --- Daniel Dennett. --- Death anxiety (psychology). --- Decision-making. --- Delay differential equation. --- Developmental psychology. --- Douglas Hofstadter. --- Dualism (philosophy of mind). --- Dylan Evans. --- Emergence. --- Enthusiasm. --- Existence. --- Explanation. --- Faber and Faber. --- Feeling. --- George Santayana. --- God. --- Hard problem of consciousness. --- Heat death of the universe. --- Human. --- Illustration. --- Incorruptibility. --- Indication (medicine). --- Individualism. --- Individuation. --- Ineffability. --- Instance (computer science). --- Instant. --- Intentionality. --- Johansson. --- Lecture. --- Literary agent. --- Ludwig Wittgenstein. --- Matt Ridley. --- Mental representation. --- Mescaline. --- Midwife. --- Mortality salience. --- Narrative. --- Niche construction. --- Penguin Books. --- Perception. --- Personhood. --- Pessimism. --- Phenomenon. --- Philosopher. --- Philosophical zombie. --- Philosophy. --- Pity. --- Precognition. --- Principle. --- Probability. --- Psychology. --- Qualia. --- Reality. --- Reason. --- Religion. --- Requirement. --- Ross Anderson. --- Rupert Sheldrake. --- Ruth Brandon. --- Science. --- Scientist. --- Self-concept. --- Self-consciousness. --- Self-image. --- Seminar. --- Sense. --- Special Period. --- Spirituality. --- Stimulation. --- Strange loop. --- Suffering. --- Suggestion. --- Termite. --- Terror management theory. --- The Dog Beneath the Skin. --- The Philosopher. --- The Various. --- Theory. --- Thomas Kuhn. --- Thought experiment. --- Thought. --- Uncertainty. --- Uniqueness. --- Visual system. --- W. H. Auden. --- What Is Your Dangerous Idea?.