Christof Koch, PhD

he scientific study of consciousness was once viewed with skepticism, but this has changed dramatically in recent years.   According to pioneering neuroscientist, Christof Koch, "the great thing is we’re not condemned to just sort of philosophical speculation, but we can make some predictions, and then go out and measure them.  And those are the things I talk about in this book, Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist." In Brain Science Podcast  #84, Koch reflects on the progress that has been made since I interviewed him back in 2007 (BSP 22), and he also talks about the latest initiatives at the Allen Institute for Brain Research, where he as recently become the chief science officer. 

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References:

• Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist, by Christof Koch.

• The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach, by Christof Koch.

• BSP 22: Interview with Christof Koch.

• BSP 61: Interview with Allan Jones of the Allen Institute for Brain Research.

• Who's in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain, by Michael S. Gazzaniga.

• BSP 82: Discussion of Who's in Charge?

• Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter, by Terrence W. Deacon.

• Tononi, G. An Information Integration Theory of Consciousness. BMC Neuroscience 2004, 5:42.

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