Closer to Consciousness
The First Strong Theory of Consciousness
The passionate psychological text Closer to Consciousness proposes a revolutionary approach to the science of consciousness.
Social psychologist Alexander Durig’s psychological study Closer to Consciousness suggests that contemporary attempts to understand consciousness are too reliant on deficient paradigms; it presents an alternative system.
Introducing its System of Interactive Reflexivity (SIR), which rests on the idea that the two hemispheres of the brain are aware of and interact with each other to form a 3D image of the world that gives rise to human consciousness, this book argues that “almost everything we know from social psychology about the underlying dynamics of social interaction between two people may also be applied to our two brains.” It examines the mechanisms that make self-awareness possible, too, working to forward a cogent notion of how the brain causes consciousness. Lively, research-based arguments are used to support its theses. The book asserts that the theoretical framework of SIR is the first that is strong enough, clear enough, and comprehensive enough to address all types of mental illness and disorders and to serve as a framework capable of supporting all theories of consciousness.
To clarify its work for general audiences, the book identifies three different types of thinking: inductive social thinking, deductive computer thinking, and abductive creative thinking. Each specialized term that the book uses is well defined for clarity and accessibility. Research and books authored by others in the psychology field are credited; where applicable, differing arguments are compared and contrasted with Durig’s own. Discussions of how people on the autism spectrum show heightened levels of deductive computer thinking compared to others further differentiate this ambitious work.
However, the text employs two distinct writing styles: one that is academic in tone, and another that is conversational, even humorous. Trading between scientific rigor and enthusiastic declarations, the book becomes somewhat inconsistent as a result. It gestures to the pronounced failings of other researchers in a blunt manner: one researcher is described as having “no idea what he is talking about—but he is not about to let a little thing like that stop him.” It also editorializes on subjects such as researchers who are said to build their theories on weak scaffolding, like false assumptions and old ideas that are taken for granted.
Among the book’s dense concentration of concepts, graphics are used to highlight salient points and definitions, as well as to illustrate the processes of theory building described in the text. But errors appear to distracting effect, including missing letters, agreement issues, punctuation mistakes, and misused words. Still, the book’s drive to formulate solid foundations for a new science of consciousness is palpable and appealing.
The passionate psychological text Closer to Consciousness proposes a revolutionary approach to the science of consciousness.
Reviewed by
Kristine Morris
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
