Burton is a neurologist who believes that other neurologists, with an assist from journalists, make unwarranted claims about the mind based on their research into the brain. In fact, it may be impossible to draw conclusions about the mind or consciousness from data about the brain. The mind is not the brain, even if you believe that the mind emerge from the brain.
Burton believes that consciousness is a set of "involuntary mental sensations," comparable to perceptual sensations but applied to mental activity. For example, understanding is the feeling you experience when your brain completes a calculation. In essence, Burton extends Hume's point about causation to the full range of rational thought: agency, intention, certainty, morality, and so on. My involuntary mental sensation is to find this idea fascinating.
The book contains many good insights, most of which I agree with. However, Burton's style is too casual and superficial. He addresses case studies only glancingly, and is surprisingly dismissive of philosophy:
Burton believes that consciousness is a set of "involuntary mental sensations," comparable to perceptual sensations but applied to mental activity. For example, understanding is the feeling you experience when your brain completes a calculation. In essence, Burton extends Hume's point about causation to the full range of rational thought: agency, intention, certainty, morality, and so on. My involuntary mental sensation is to find this idea fascinating.
The book contains many good insights, most of which I agree with. However, Burton's style is too casual and superficial. He addresses case studies only glancingly, and is surprisingly dismissive of philosophy:
After recently watching a few online introductory philosophy courses, my first reaction was that a fair number of age-old philosophical arguments seemed nonsensical.That's quite a claim to make based on watching a few online videos!
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