The Conscious Universe

About the Book

    We live a miracle everyday, a world of coloured reflections in a river, scents of flowers, birdsong, a warm breeze. Buried below our living experience, science has discovered a world of atoms and vibrations, a world of blind elementary forces. These forces operate everywhere in the known universe, including the chemistry of our bodies. Most poignantly they operate in our brains. How does the miracle of our conscious life emerge from this dry world of atomic forces? Should we expect science to give a satisfactory answer to this question? Practical developments such as genetic engineering and brain imaging have brought a contemporary vitality to these questions.

The book explores the linked hierarchy of science, from physics to brain structure. Within this journey, progressively deeper questions are asked about the nature and limits of scientific explanation.                                                                                       

Diagrams and photographs are used to assist the text. Many of the diagrams are novel and illustrate ideas in a compact way.

About the Author

Tom Crawford BSc, PhD, FIET, FRSE

The Author has a professional background in research and development in areas of scientific measurement. He has been involved in research and development within academia and industry including areas of artificial intelligence. The author has maintained a lifelong interest in the relationship between philosophy and science. ‘the conscious universe’ is his first book addressing this enthusiasm.

Outside of professional work, hobbies include hill walking and flying light aircraft.