Being in Time

Given that a representational system's phenomenal experience must be intrinsic to it and must therefore arise from its own temporal dynamics, consciousness is best understood — indeed, can only be understood — as being in time. Despite that, it is still acceptable for theories of consciousness to be summarily exempted from addressing the temporality of phenomenal experience. The chapters comprising this book represent a collective attempt on the part of their authors to redress this aberration. The diverse treatments of phenomenal consciousness range in their methodology from philosophy, through surveys and synthesis of behavioral and neuroscientific findings, to computational analysis. This collection's broad scope and integrative approach, characterized by the view of the brain as a dynamical system that computes the mind's representation space, will be of interest to researchers, instructors, and students in the cognitive sciences wishing to acquaint themselves with the current thinking in consciousness research. Series B.

Antonio Chella, Università di Palermo:
According to physics textbooks, time is expected to occupy an ever-shifting point with no width. But how does such an instantaneous present accommodate with our long lasting and content-rich conscious experience? This intriguing book, authored by distinguished scholars in the field, offers several insights about the problem of the dynamics of experience from different perspectives, ranging from cognitive science and philosophy to computer science and neurobiology.