Feeling & Knowing

Making Minds Conscious

By: Antonio Damasio

Narrated by: Julian Morris

Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of the world’s leading neuroscientists: a succinct, illuminating, wholly engaging investigation of how biology, neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence have given us the tools to unlock the mysteries of human consciousness

“One thrilling insight after another ... Damasio has succeeded brilliantly in narrowing the gap between body and mind.” —The New York Times Book Review

In recent decades, many philosophers and cognitive scientists have declared the problem of consciousness unsolvable, but Antonio Damasio is convinced that recent findings across multiple scientific disciplines have given us a way to understand consciousness and its significance for human life.

In the forty-eight brief chapters of Feeling & Knowing, and in writing that remains faithful to our intuitive sense of what feeling and experiencing are about, Damasio helps us understand why being conscious is not the same as sensing, why nervous systems are essential for the development of feelings, and why feeling opens the way to consciousness writ large. He combines the latest discoveries in various sciences with philosophy and discusses his original research, which has transformed our understanding of the brain and human behavior.

Here is an indispensable guide to understand­ing how we experience the world within and around us and find our place in the universe.

©2021 Antonio Damasio (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Here the master scientist unites with the silken prose-stylist to produce one thrilling insight after another . . . Damasio has succeeded brilliantly in narrowing the gap between body and mind.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Damasio’s concise, precise, and lucid prose effectively convey the core insight he has distilled over decades (2): that affect—encompassing, emotions, feelings, motivations, and moods—is central to understanding what we do, how we think, and who we are.” —Science

“Damasio writes lucid prose clearly addressed to a popular audience. Even better, the book is concise and helpfully divided into dozens of short chapters, many only one or two pages. Make no mistake, however; Damasio is a deep thinker familiar with multiple disciplines, and this is as much a work of philosophy as hard science. Readers familiar with college level psychology and neuroscience will discover rewarding insights.” —Kirkus Reviews

FEELING & KNOWING

Antonio Damasio refines the definition of consciousness in "Feeling & Knowing". Damasio offers a more science based, experiment driven, view of consciousness than Helen Thompson's "Unthinkable..." "Feeling and Knowing" is a shorter version of Anil Seth's book "Being You" that also addresses consciousness. Thompson offers a less science driven view of consciousness based on patient interviews that reinforce Damasio's and Seth's views. There seems a slight difference between Damasio's and Seth's view of consciousness in the belief that emotions or feelings are the source of thought and knowledge origination. Seth argues emotions originate in the organs of the body and inform the brain. Damasio is more circumspect and seems to argue emotions come from the body and brain in a synchronous way.

If Damasio is correct, for A.I. to become a learning machine, emotion must be a part of its programming. If emotion can be and is programmed into a machine, there seems a probability that humanity will become servant rather than master of the universe.

Damasio’s Brilliance

Antonio Damasio has eloquently articulated the most critical distinctions involved in Consciousness, like no other before him in all of Science. I have read each of his works and in my humble opinion, this book is the elegant evolution of his previous writing.

I wish it would have been longer 🧐

This book really had great insight on consciousness. The author took his time to put this book together. This book has me intrigued as to what else is out there.

HIGH Level Explanation

Damasio is obviously an expert in his field and this audiobook is packed with incredible, detailed information. It is very academic. You will have to use your imagination to find ways to implement all the insights.

Difficult

I’m into these topics and love to hear from neuroscientist about this topic. But this was so difficult to follow. I give three stars because the author is very knowledgeable in his field. I think more direct experience with consciousness through meditation and introspection will help him tie all his knowledge together and express in a language that the average person can understand.

That's it??

This is just about the most basic, most overly-simplified book on the brain I've come across in recent memory. Nothing new here, and what little new stuff there is is totally ruined by perhaps the most boring reader in the history of science books.

Authors, if you are writing a science book, GET A NARRATOR THAT SOUNDS EXCITING, ENERGETIC, or, at the very least, AWAKE!

Pre-ordered for Conciousness

Now read Hidden Spring by Mark Solms, Science & path of Human Consciousness arisen !!

defined as, "that which helps us do better "

Mark calls out Tony, using science and reason. As exciting as it gets for Au-diccted science buffs.

Very instructive and very enjoyable!

Reading Damasio is always a pleasure. He couches his well documented scientific theories in language both beautiful and understandable to the layman.

Like his Strange Order of Things, to read this book is to immerse yourself in a bouquet of flowers where all the blooms are precious gems. As he lays out his case in forty-eight brief chapters, he makes it easier for the Reader to drill down and digest his points in small bites. Each morsel is delicious and worth savoring over and over again.

Anyone who has any interest in the workings of the Brain and a more holistic interpretation of Human Consciousness should read this book and reflect. Five Stars *****

A bold and insightful explanation of consciousness

First, Antonio has done a great job of getting to the important details of his proposition without much flourish and pomp. This is a short but dense book.

As for the hypothesis, I believe it makes great intuitive sense. Consciousness is critically dependent on sensing. It is also not magic, but rather a natural outcome of being well adapted to the environment by being tuned to our internal experiences which are both a result of the environment acting upon us and internal biological dynamics. Or something like that, it deserves a second listen.

The one thing I find lacking are proposed ways to test this idea and build it out.

The narration is pleasant and captures the author's excitement of the subject without being over the top.

If you are curious about consciousness you must add this book to your library!

Found it a bit shallow

The author stated from the beginning that he wanted to present the issue briefly and without background. Yet I found it a bit shallow and not really convincing. In the end I feel as I have not learned much.