Summary

The phenomenon of `consciousness' is intrinsically related to one's awareness of one's self, of time, and of the physical world. What, then, can be learned about consciousness from people who have suffered brain damage such as amnesia which affects their awareness? This is the question explored by Lawrence Weiskrantz, a distinguished neuropsychologist who has worked with such patients over 30 years. It has been discovered that many of these patients retain intact capacities of which they are unaware, in what is known as `covert' processing. Weiskrantz maps his own research onto a philosophical arguement which, combined with the latest brain imaging studies, points the way to specific brain structures which may be involved in conscious awareness. The book also analyses new approaches to the question of animal consciousness and its evolutionary value. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Consciousness Lost and Found provides a unique perspective on one of the most challenging issues in science today.