Being You

Description

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A NEW STATESMAN, THE ECONOMIST & BLOOMBERG BOOK OF THE YEAR
A GUARDIAN & FINANCIAL TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Anil Seth’s radical new theory of consciousness challenges our understanding of perception and reality, doing for brain science what Dawkins did for evolutionary biology.

‘A brilliant beast of a book.’
DAVID BYRNE

‘The nature of consciousness is still one of the hardest problems in science, but Anil Seth brings us closer than ever before to the answer.’
JIM AL-KHALILI

‘Seth thinks clearly and sharply on one of the hardest problems of science and philosophy, cutting through weeds with a scientist’s mind and a storyteller’s skill.’
ADAM RUTHERFORD

‘Readable, relatable, and gripping.’
ALEX GARLAND, director of Ex Machina

‘An exhilarating book: a vast-ranging, phenomenal achievement that will undoubtedly become a seminal text.’ GAIA VINCE, GUARDIAN (Book of the Day)

Being You is not as simple as it sounds. Somehow, within each of our brains, billions of neurons work to create our conscious experience. How does this happen? Why do we experience life in the first person? After over twenty years researching the brain, world-renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth puts forward a radical new theory of consciousness and self. His unique theory of what it means to ‘be you’ challenges our understanding of perception and reality and it turns what you thought you knew about yourself on its head.

‘Awe-inspiring and humane.’ NEW STATESMAN (Books of the Year)
‘Fascinating.’ FINANCIAL TIMES (Books of the Year)
‘Profound.’ GUARDIAN (Books of the Year)
‘Brilliant.’ CLAIRE TOMALIN, NEW YORK TIMES
‘Outstanding.’ PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

‘Amazing . . . a brilliant read.’
RUSSELL BRAND

‘Beautifully written, crystal clear, deeply insightful.’
DAVID EAGLEMAN, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of Livewired

‘Offers us new cause for astonishment and wonder.’
ANNAKA HARRIS, author of Conscious

‘A fascinating book. A joy to read.’
NIGEL WARBURTON

‘Truly compelling.’
PROFESSOR KARL FRISTON, Universty College London

‘A wonderfully accessible and comprehensive account.’
SEAN CARROLL, author of Something Deeply Hidden