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0195106466
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Shadows of the Mind

A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness

by Roger Penrose


ISBN: 0195106466
ISBN-13: 9780195106466
Format: Paperback

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Media Reviews

"Talk about astounding science...! Penrose reveals several worlds that are normally very hard to see, but that thanks to his guidance are thrilling to imagine...."    -- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

   -- New York Times Book Review

"An important book, with much that is valuable to say about the science of mind...All who are seriously interested in the scientific explanation of consciousness would do well to make themselves aware of Penrose's [ideas]."    -- Chet Raymo

   -- Commonweal

Bibliographic Details

Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr
Published date: 1996
Size: 6.25 x 9.5 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds

Publisher's Notes

The bestselling author of The Emperor's New Mind offers another exhilarating look at modern science as he mounts an even more powerful attack on artifical intelligence. Shadows of the Mind points the way to a new science, one that may eventually explain the physical basis of the human mind. 49 illustrations.

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1) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Roger Penrose

Oxford University Press, USA, 1996-06-27. Paperback. Very Good. Very good+ condition never read softback book,very clean no highlighting,underlining or notes (more information)

Offered by Music Technology Systems (United States)
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2) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

Oxford University Press, USA. PAPERBACK. 0195106466 No annotation, underlining, or highlighting found inside. Lightly worn. . Good. (more information)

Offered by Corner-Stone Bookshop (United States)
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3) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

New York, NY Oxford University Press, 1994. Trade Paperback. First Ed thus; First Printing indicated. First Ed thus; First Printing indicated. Near Fine in Wraps: shows only the most minute indications of use; binding square and secure; text clean. Just a hint of wear to extremities; mildest rubbing; very faint crease near lower front corner. Very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder. NOT a Book-Club Edition. NOT an Ex-Library copy. 4to. 457pp. Not Inscribed or Signed by Author. (more information)

Offered by Westside Stories (United States)
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4) Shadows of the Mind A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

Oxford University Press, USA. As New with no dust jacket. 1996. First Thus; First Printing. Paperback. 0195106466 . Diagrams; 0.9 x 9.1 x 6.1 Inches; A New York Times bestseller when it appeared in 1989, Roger Penrose's The Emperor's New Mind was universally hailed as a marvelous survey of modern physics as well as a brilliant reflection on the human mind, offering a new perspective on the scientific landscape and a visionary glimpse of the possible future of science. Now, in Shadows of the Mind, Penrose offers another exhilarating look at modern science as he mounts an even more powerful attack on artificial intelligence. But perhaps more important, in this volume he points the way to a new science, one that may eventually explain the physical basis of the human mind. Penrose contends that some aspects of the human mind lie beyond computation. This is not a religious argument (that the mind is something other than physical) nor is it based on the brain's vast complexity (the weather is immensely complex, says Penrose, but it is still a computable thing, at least in theory). Instead, he provides powerful arguments to support his conclusion that there is something in the conscious activity of the brain that transcends computation--and will find no explanation in terms of present-day science. To illuminate what he believes this "something" might be, and to suggest where a new physics must proceed so that we may understand it, Penrose cuts a wide swathe through modern science, providing penetrating looks at everything from Turing machines (computers programmed from artificial intelligence) to the implications of Godel's theorem maintaining that conscious thinking must indeed involve ingredients that cannot adequately be stimulated by mere computation. Of particular interest is Penrose's extensive examination of quantum mechanics, which introduces some new ideas that differ markedly from those advanced in The Emperor's New Mind, especially concerning the mysterious interface where classical and quantum physics meet. But perhaps the most interesting wrinkle in Shadows of the Mind is Penrose's excursion into microbiology, where he examines cytoskeletons and microtubules, minute substructures lying deep within the brain's neurons. (He argues that microtubules--not neurons--may indeed be the basic units of the brain, which, if nothing else, would dramatically increase the brain's computational power.) Furthermore, he contends that in consciousness some kind of global quantum state must take place across large areas of the brain, and that it within microtubules that these collective quantum effects are most likely to reside. For physics to accommodate something that is as foreign to our current physical picture as is the phenomenon of consciousness, we must expect a profound change--one that alters the very underpinnings of our philosophical viewpoint as to the nature of reality. Shadows of the Mind provides an illuminating look at where these profound changes may take place and what our future understanding of the world may be. . (more information)

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5) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Roger Penrose

Oxford University Press, USA, 1996-06-27. Paperback. New. BRAND NEW trade paperback in excellent condition with no blemishes or flaws of any kind; We are a small hard working operation who understand that the economy is tough and every penny counts, shop with us for low prices, quality merchandise, fast shipping, and first-class customer service (more information)

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6) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. Owner's label. Otherwise a clean, tight and unmarked book. Very Neat. Index. xvi.457p.. Wraps (soft-cover). Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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7) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

Oxford University Press, USA. PAPERBACK. 0195106466 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New. (more information)

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8) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

Oxford University Press, 1996 Illuminating look at the profound changes necessary for physics to accommodate something that is as foreign to our current physical picture as is the phenomenon of consciousness. Slightest signs of storage. Clean, bright copy - 457 pages including index. Next post dispatch from the UK. . First Paperback Edition. Card Covers. Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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9) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
ROGER PENROSE

Oxford University Press, USA, 1996 Paper Back. New. (more information)

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10) Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness
Penrose, Roger

Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A.: Oxford Univ Pr, 1996 Paperback : soft cover edition in good or better condition, some slight wear to edges, as normal for age of book. Excellent read. A good book to enjoy and keep on hand. Or would make a great gift for the fan / reader in your life.. NIS. (more information)

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Penrose, Roger

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