The Avid Reader Show

Episode 742: John Parrington - Consciousness: How our brains turn matter into meaning


Listen Later

What is the material basis of the thoughts that occur inside our heads?Where do imaginative, creative, or spiritual thoughts come from - can these really be the product of nerve impulses in the brain? And is the human mind radically different from that of other species, or is our uniqueness more superficial than real? In this book, Oxford biologist John Parrington proposes a radical new theory of human consciousness, arguing that a qualitative leap in consciousness occurred during human evolution as language and tool use transformed our brains. Rejecting outdated views of the brain as a hard-wired circuit diagram, he draws on the latest insights from neuroscience to show that meaning is created within our heads through a dynamic interaction of oscillating brain waves. This new model of consciousness not only provides a material basis of our innermost thoughts but also explains why the mind can sometimes go wrong, causing deep mental distress.

Buy the book from Wellington Square Bookshop - ​
https://www.wellingtonsquarebooks.com/book/9781837730780

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Avid Reader ShowBy Samuel Hankin

  • 3.6
  • 3.6
  • 3.6
  • 3.6
  • 3.6

3.6

43 ratings


More shows like The Avid Reader Show

View all
The Girl Next Door Podcast by Kelsey Wharton and Erica Ladd

The Girl Next Door Podcast

724 Listeners

Close Reads Podcast by Goldberry Studios

Close Reads Podcast

837 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,121 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

55,874 Listeners

Bad On Paper by Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter

Bad On Paper

4,067 Listeners

The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan by Mitchell Kaplan

The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan

194 Listeners

Talk Bookish To Me by Talk Bookish To Me

Talk Bookish To Me

60 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,311 Listeners

My Unsung Hero by Hidden Brain

My Unsung Hero

1,151 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

1,981 Listeners