The Wayward Mind by Guy Claxton
The unconscious has had a long and chequered history. For at least the last 4,000 years, societies have concocted comforting fables in the face of the recurrent puzzles of human existence - death, dreaming, madness, possession, inspiration - that invariably rely on some notion of the unconscious. Supernatural 'fairy stories' need some internal proxy or contact point through which the influence of demons and spirits can flow. And without such gods and forces, some psychological machinery is needed to take over their work. But what IS the unconscious? Is it 'God's viceroy', the soul? Is it the locked ward of Freudian desire? Is the subliminal mind the source of the sublime emotions of the Romantics? Is is the mental microchip of cognitive science? Or is it simply the brain?
'Claxton's quest for the origins of the unconscious mind combines page-turning narrative with cutting-edge neuroscienceHis ideas about how and why the brain creates our oddest experiences are both imaginative and credible. The book makes an important contribution to our understanding of what it is to be human' Rita Carter, author of MAPPING THE MIND and CONSCIOUSNESS.
Guy Claxton is an internationally renowned writer, consultant, lecturer and academic specialising in creativity, education and the mind. He has a double first in Natural Science from Cambridge, a doctorate in psychology from Oxford and has held the post of Visiting Professor in Learning Science at the University of Bristol since 1993.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780316724517 |
| ISBN 10 | 0316724513 |
| Title | The Wayward Mind |
| Author | Guy Claxton |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown & Company |
| Year published | 2005-08-01 |
| Number of pages | 416 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |