For many years science held the almost self-evident belief that the brain is an organ like any other, and that everything we think and do must be the result of biological processes in the brain over which we would have no control.
That is a depressing thought. But is it true? Is this the inevitable consequence of scientific facts? Is this who we are? The discussion about consciousness, the brain, and free will has yet to reach broad scientific consensus. This is not surprising either. For although most people have a concept of “consciousness” and “free will,” to really examine them as entities with scientifically unclarified etiologies is quite an undertaking and must be done with care, sys-tematically, and with as much objectivity as possible.
Arie Bos attempts to do just that in this book. Through various scientifically established facts that relate to our consciousness and brain, anatomy, physiology, the many brain functions, sleep, pathology, and much more we begin to unravel the origins of human thought and will. This discussion is supported by many practical examples and scientific details, woven together in to a pattern that makes visible the genius serving role of our brain and the existence of free will.
And we are left with food for further thought: consciousness, the brain, and free will seem to be an inseparable trinity.