Translator's Note _ i
Acknowledgements _ 7

Preface _ 9
Part 1: The World's Knots _ 15
Chapter 1: Consciousness: Philosophical Paradox or Object of Scientific Study? _ 18
Chapter 2: The Singularity of the Problem of Consciousness _ 29
Chapter 3: Everyone's Own Theater: Unceasing Unity, Endless Diversity _ 43

Part 2: Consciousness and the Brain _ 65
Chapter 4: Exploring the Brain _ 68
Chapter 5: Consciousness and Distributed Neural Activity _ 88
Chapter 6 Neural Activity: Integrated and Differentiated _ 104

Part 3: The Mechanism of Consciousness: A Darwinian Perspective _ 125
Chapter 7: Natural Selection _ 127
Chapter 8: The Non-Representationality of Memory _ 147
Chapter 9 From Perception to Memory: The Remembered Present _ 159

Part 4: Coping with Diversity: The Dynamic Core Hypothesis _ 171
Chapter 10: Integration and Reintroduction _ 173
Chapter 11: Consciousness and Complexity _ 189
Chapter 12: Where the Knots Are Tied: The Dynamic Core Hypothesis _ 208

Part 5: Untying the Knot _ 231
Chapter 13: Qualia and Distinction _ 233
Chapter 14: Consciousness and the Unconscious _ 259

Part 6: The Observer's Time _ 281
Chapter 15: Language and the Self _ 283
Chapter 16 Thoughts _ 294
Chapter 17: Prisoners of Narrative _ 305

Note _ 329
References _ 376
Illustration source _ 398
List of illustrations _ 400
Index _ 402

A Nobel Prize winner and a genius scientist
Revolutionary insights into the brain and consciousness

Gerald Edelman won the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work elucidating the structure of antibody proteins and elucidating the mechanisms of immune responses in living organisms.
He later applied immunological thinking to neuroscience and established neural Darwinism, or the theory of neural group selection.
He did not stop there, but attempted to solve the problem of consciousness by introducing a new method that had never existed before.
The goal was to first define the universal properties of consciousness and then find the underlying neural processes that make those properties possible.
This was a great shift in thinking that no one before Edelman had ever achieved.


Edelman's theory of consciousness, which viewed 'competition and integration of information' as the main function of consciousness, has inspired many neurophysicists, and research is still actively being conducted on how the flow of information changes in various states of consciousness.
Furthermore, recent research using optogenetics continues to demonstrate that bidirectional connections between neural populations, which Edelman has collectively termed “re-entrainment,” are essential for higher-order brain functions.


In this book, Gerald Edelman completes his theory of consciousness by weaving experimental evidence into the groundbreaking concepts introduced in his trilogy: Neural Darwinism, Topological Biology, and The Remembered Present.

In this book, Edelman and his colleague Tononi cover the structure and function of the brain, various existing theories of consciousness, and even higher-order human consciousness, for scholars from various fields who are exploring the nature of the human mind.


The first half of this book introduces the philosophical, psychological, and biological foundations essential to understanding the authors' theories.
Next, we redefine various frequently misused terms and concepts, such as “complexity,” and use them to establish a robust and testable theory of the neural basis of consciousness.
In the latter part, various elements of the human mind, such as language and thought, are reinterpreted based on the authors' theories.
This bold attempt is expected to generate various experimental and theoretical repercussions.
In this book, readers will find answers to major questions in science, philosophy, and even literature.


What happens in our heads when we think? How do the physical events that occur in our brain, a soft, palm-sized organ, create the incredible world of conscious experience, encompassing our senses, knowledge, and existence? Scientists and philosophers have pondered these questions for ages, but no one has come up with a theory based on observable scientific experiments.
In this book, Gerald Edelman completes his theory of consciousness by weaving experimental evidence into the groundbreaking concepts introduced in his trilogy, Neural Darwinism, Topological Biology, and The Remembered Present.
Edelman and Tononi present a cutting-edge experimental technique that measures subtle brain electrical currents to detect brain waves associated with specific conscious experiences.
This book will likely cause quite a stir among current consciousness researchers.
The authors argue that Freud's unconscious accounts for a much larger proportion of total brain activity than previously believed.
Consciousness is not a unified entity, and each individual has a unique “consciousness footprint.”
This is why we must pay attention to the individuality of human beings.
- Science Magazine

This is the best introductory book to understand Edelman's theory of consciousness.
…Consciousness is the holy grail of modern neuroscience, so it is premature to argue over which theory is correct.
However, it is true that Edelman and Tononi's claim is a bolder hypothesis than any other theory, and it is a valid hypothesis.
- Nature Magazine

[Edelman and Tononi] vividly demonstrate that the explosive progress of modern science will completely overturn the landscape of brain research, which has been gradually pursued by philosophers for thousands of years.
Therefore, the message this book delivers to the scientific and philosophical communities is by no means small.
- Boston Book Review