Quick Look
An investigation into the dynamics of mind and memory, how we experience time and how ideas seem to have a life of their own.
Description
Anyone interested in exploring the dynamics of mind and memory, how we experience time, and how ideas seem to have a life of their own, will enjoy this highly readable and enjoyable account written by a specialist in consciousness studies.
Chris Nunn builds a picture of our minds suitable for the new century, a picture that is rapidly developing in ways very different from predominant twentieth-century views. Along the way, he offers an understanding of how our minds behave during sleep, how the craze for alien abduction came about, and what our sense of beauty may be based on. Final chapters extend these ideas to cover near-death and mystical experiences, among other topics.
Nunn's account ranges over theories and research evidence of the last one hundred and fifty years, and brings us right up to date with the views of modern brain scientists.
Reviews
'Particularly impressive is Nunn's ability to integrate recent formulations such as memes with unfashionable notions like archetypes, alongside the theories from modern physics and all sorts more in a structure that leaves room for meaning. It is a quirky read, lurching through some unfamiliar territory but sustained by shafts of deliciously dry wit and touches of welcome iconoclasm - Nunn knows his field well enough not to be daunted by the likes of Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins when necessary.'
-- Rob Parkinson, Human Givens Magazine, Issue 2, 2008
'A strength of Nunn's book is its many absorbing tales about medical conditions, altered states of consciousness, historical developments, and other assorted items, which are used to explore memes, archetypes and attractor dynamics. The stories are told with insight and irreverent humour, and the range is impressive … Most writers who give credence to memes work within a fairly narrow theoretical framework. This cannot be said of Nunn, who takes meme theory in imaginative, heretical directions. Pick up his book and prepare to have your attractor landscapes seriously reconfigured.'
-- Paul Marshall, Journal of Consciousness Studies
'A roller-coaster ride … a challenging read'.
-- Jenni Connaughton, Yoga Scotland Magazine
Author
Chris Nunn worked as a consultant psychiatrist, latterly at the University of Southampton, in both clinical and research areas. He has spent the last fifteen years exploring consciousness in relation to mind and body, and is currently associate editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies. He has written numerous papers, articles and reviews. His first book on conscious experience, Awareness, was published by Routledge in 1996; the second, De la Mettrie’s Ghost by Macmillan in 2005.
