The Meaning of Consciousness

Though the topic of consciousness has been with us for centuries, no one until now has been willing or able to develop a systematic and holistic theory of its organization and structure. The Meaning of Consciousness begins this task in a unique and entirely original manner, emphasizing the relevance of an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on science as well as the humanities. Working from a new nonrationalist, nonmaterialist framework, Lohrey breaks with the habits of reasoned materialism that sustains 'objective' approaches to consciousness to avoid the typical question of how consciousness arises from matter, and instead inquires about how matter arises from consciousness. He determines that consciousness, like quantum mechanics, cannot be analyzed and treated by reductive or mechanical means; it needs an approach which is compatible with its inclusive and circular character. The Meaning of Consciousness draws from interdisciplinary writings by a range of thinkers, including David Bohm, F. David Peat, Heinz Pagels, Rupert Sheldrake, Ken Wilbur, and Carl Jung, to emphasize the interconnections of spirituality, psychology, and physics. Students in the fields of semiotics, rhetoric, communication, cognitive science, and discourse analysis will find Lohrey's theories not only stimulating but highly relevant. Andrew Lohrey is a Research Fellow at the National Languages and Literacy Institute of Australia and a former member of the Tasmanian Parliament.