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lakmus's review
4.0
Educated layman book, not an academic book.
Cool accessible introduction to consciousness science/research.
Sad to report that some understanding of the free energy principle has entered my mind and then left immediately upon closing the book. Understanding of predictive processing has settled somewhat better. Somewhat.
Cool accessible introduction to consciousness science/research.
Sad to report that some understanding of the free energy principle has entered my mind and then left immediately upon closing the book. Understanding of predictive processing has settled somewhat better. Somewhat.
erikars's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
This is one of my top reads for the year. Anil Seth’s Being You explores the nature of consciousness, blending neuroscience with philosophical inquiry. Seth invites us to rethink what it means to be conscious, presenting it as a deeply embodied biological process.
Seth’s central argument is that our experiences of the world and the self are "controlled hallucinations" created by the brain. Our minds contain interpretations, not direct sensory experiences, but these interpretations are guided by the sensory signals we receive. Thus, everything we experience is a hallucination — grounded in reality, yet shaped by our brain's predictions. Seth argues that consciousness arises from our living bodies as the brain predicts and regulates the body's internal states. This explains why experiences, such as color perception, are not direct reflections of reality but evolutionary adaptations to help us navigate the world.
Seth also challenges the view of the self as a fixed, unchanging entity. Instead, he presents the self as a perception, or rather, a collection of perceptions—a tightly woven bundle of predictions geared toward keeping the body alive. He details how the self comprises various components, such as the bodily self, the perspectival self, and the narrative self, and how these can become disconnected in various conditions, such as delirium.
The book explores the relationship between perception and action, showing that action is inseparable from perception. Active inference, where the brain minimizes prediction errors, is a key mechanism by which we navigate the world. This continuous loop of "what," "when," and "whether" we take an action underscores the idea that volition is not about willing an action but about the flow of voluntary actions and their inhibition (which we sometimes perceive more clearly than at other times).
Whether or not you agree with his claim that this approach dissolves the hard problem of consciousness, Seth’s focus on neuroscience provides new insights. His discussion of the self-maintenance of living systems and its implications for consciousness challenges us to reconsider our assumptions, particularly in light of debates on machine consciousness. Seth argues that consciousness arises the biological drive to stay alive and expresses skepticism about the possibility of truly conscious machines.
Being You reminds us of the intricate and dynamic nature of consciousness. Seth grounds this inquiry firmly within the natural world and our existence as self-sustaining biological organisms. By framing consciousness as a tangible biological process, Seth brings the discussion down to earth, offering a scientifically grounded and philosophically provocative framework for understanding the nature of self and perception.
Seth’s central argument is that our experiences of the world and the self are "controlled hallucinations" created by the brain. Our minds contain interpretations, not direct sensory experiences, but these interpretations are guided by the sensory signals we receive. Thus, everything we experience is a hallucination — grounded in reality, yet shaped by our brain's predictions. Seth argues that consciousness arises from our living bodies as the brain predicts and regulates the body's internal states. This explains why experiences, such as color perception, are not direct reflections of reality but evolutionary adaptations to help us navigate the world.
Seth also challenges the view of the self as a fixed, unchanging entity. Instead, he presents the self as a perception, or rather, a collection of perceptions—a tightly woven bundle of predictions geared toward keeping the body alive. He details how the self comprises various components, such as the bodily self, the perspectival self, and the narrative self, and how these can become disconnected in various conditions, such as delirium.
The book explores the relationship between perception and action, showing that action is inseparable from perception. Active inference, where the brain minimizes prediction errors, is a key mechanism by which we navigate the world. This continuous loop of "what," "when," and "whether" we take an action underscores the idea that volition is not about willing an action but about the flow of voluntary actions and their inhibition (which we sometimes perceive more clearly than at other times).
Whether or not you agree with his claim that this approach dissolves the hard problem of consciousness, Seth’s focus on neuroscience provides new insights. His discussion of the self-maintenance of living systems and its implications for consciousness challenges us to reconsider our assumptions, particularly in light of debates on machine consciousness. Seth argues that consciousness arises the biological drive to stay alive and expresses skepticism about the possibility of truly conscious machines.
Being You reminds us of the intricate and dynamic nature of consciousness. Seth grounds this inquiry firmly within the natural world and our existence as self-sustaining biological organisms. By framing consciousness as a tangible biological process, Seth brings the discussion down to earth, offering a scientifically grounded and philosophically provocative framework for understanding the nature of self and perception.
lynseyreads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
tarostar's review
4.0
A great book for gaining a bit of insight into our growing understanding of consciousness. A relatively easy read for a very difficult subject. Each chapter adds to your knowledge of the subject preparing you to understand the next chapter, and builds until you can appreciate the fascinating chapters on what your sense of you might really be, the role of consciousness and whether we have free will. I appreciate the many excellent examples that serve to illustrate otherwise tricky concepts at the same time as making the book easier and more entertaining to read.
It is not a book (or subject) that can or should be summarized as there is much that must be picked apart and understood on the road to understanding the state of consciousness research. I found many of the same ideas as Thomas Metzinger had in the Ego Tunnel (highly recommend). I also felt my difficult, but rewarding reading of Self Comes to Mind by Antonio R. Damasio helped understand the idea of consciousness springing from the preservation of life (Damasio’s fascinating book is far more thorough on that subject, but is also much harder to read).
I did feel the book lost some credibility in the last chapters on consciousness in non-humans (animals and machines). While much of it made sense and I did not have any major disagreements there was more wild speculation and some crass statements that were more based on personal feelings of the author than rooted in the firm science that underpins most of this book.
It is not a book (or subject) that can or should be summarized as there is much that must be picked apart and understood on the road to understanding the state of consciousness research. I found many of the same ideas as Thomas Metzinger had in the Ego Tunnel (highly recommend). I also felt my difficult, but rewarding reading of Self Comes to Mind by Antonio R. Damasio helped understand the idea of consciousness springing from the preservation of life (Damasio’s fascinating book is far more thorough on that subject, but is also much harder to read).
I did feel the book lost some credibility in the last chapters on consciousness in non-humans (animals and machines). While much of it made sense and I did not have any major disagreements there was more wild speculation and some crass statements that were more based on personal feelings of the author than rooted in the firm science that underpins most of this book.
bluishgreen12's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
It was a bit too technical to enjoy, despite being accustomed to reading science books. The author has a theory, explains it, but I feel that without relevant/more advanced knowledge of education in biology/physics, etc I didn't fully understand the details. It would have been better use of my time to read an article where the key points are summarised. Really didn't enjoy reading it, though I persisted as the topic was really interesting to me.