Description

What is consciousness? How do physical processes in the brain give rise to the self-aware mind and to feelings as profoundly varied as love or hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual yearning? Consciousness is perhaps the most puzzling problem we humans face in trying to understand ourselves.

In this thought-provoking book, scientists of the Bhaktivedanta institute examine key underlying concepts of the modern life sciences in light of Indias age-old Vedic knowledge offering an enlightening view of consciousness through the lenses of science and philosophy.

Contains:

1. a) Interview with Srila Prabhupada and Dr. Gregory Benford (physics);
2. b) On Inspiration, by Sadaputa Dasa; (the mechanistic explanation, some striking examples, an alternative model, conclusion)
3. c) The Computerized Mr Jones, by Sadaputa Dasa; (Church’s thesis, levels of organization, defining consciousness, the mechanical brain, a nonmechanistic explanation, the science of consciousness)
4. d) The principle of Reincarnation, by Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami, (the reductionist approach, what is life, a new paradigm for life and the absolute truth, the properties of life,consciousness and the biological forms, reincarnation and the change of body, evolution and devolution of consciousness, reincarnation and the science of self-realization, bhakti yoga – the process of breaking the process of birth and death).