Mind and Brain Sciences in the 21st Century

On the brink of a new millenium, where does our understanding of the mind stand? If you want lucid, insightful, sophisticated yet accessible answers to this question, read this book! An expertly edited, intellectually appetizing collection that brings together future visions of those who have helped shape the field of mind/brain sciences in our century..."

-- Guven Guzeldere, Duke University The approach of the new millennium encourages people to stop and think about where we have been and where we are going. In these essays, all but one written for this book, many of those who have helped to shape the fields of neurocognition, cognitive science, and psychology give their thoughts on the past and future of the science of mind. Ernest R. Hilgard's foreword presents "A Personal View of 20th Century Psychology: With an Eye to the 21st Century." Some of the essays offer specific ideas about what the future may hold, while others prefer the grand overview. Some touch on the philosophical, social, and scientific implications of the science of the mind; a few border on whimsy or science fiction. All are written to be understood by the informed layperson, as well as professionals and students. The authors of the essays describe their visions of what might be, not what is determined to be. A major goal of the volume is to encourage scientists and scholars to consider alternative worlds--to help us to avoid many of the problems of the past and to create a healthier and more humane future.

CONTENTS

Part I 7 Consciousness and the 21st Century

"Psychology in a World of Sentient, Self-Knowing Beings: A Modest Utopian Fantasy"Bernard Baars

"What Thin Partitions...