Publishers Weekly
★ 09/11/2023
“Explaining our inner experience might require new physics,” according to this electrifying report. Science writer Musser (Spooky Action at a Distance) surveys how physicists, who since René Descartes have largely studied matter as distinct from the mind, are now attempting to explain the vagaries of subjective experience and consciousness. Quantum theory, he notes, has forced physicists to consider the human mind because the presence of “sentient observers” affects the location of quantum particles, which remain in an indefinite state “not sitting anywhere in particular” until observed. Musser explores the fascinating ways in which scientists are studying the physics of the mind, including theoretical quantum “meta-experiments” that consider situations in which “observers observe other observers.” Other researchers are building artificial neural networks (digital “webs of basic computing units”) to better understand how neurons, which function as biological computing units, contribute to cognitive function and consciousness. Musser has a talent for distilling complex science into accessible language, as when he explains that Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli’s theories about gravity imply that “things have no properties in isolation but acquire them only at their point of contact with other things,” raising provocative questions about the nature of objective reality. Lucid and endlessly intriguing, this will expand readers’ minds. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Musser knows that the point of popular science is [. . .] to get a sense of what’s at stake, what kinds of answers are being offered to difficult questions, and why it all matters. One could not ask more of Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation—on all three counts it delivers." —Julian Baggini, The Wall Street Journal
"Musser is to be applauded for tackling both consciousness and the quantum realm . . . [Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation] is readable and enthusiastic, packed with first-person anecdotes. It conveys as much about quantum theories of mind and IIT as it is possible to do without rolling up your mathematical sleeves and getting stuck into the equations." —Michael Wooldridge, Times Literary Supplement
"[Musser] has assembled a vast array of ideas from developments in artificial intelligence, heterodox interpretations of modern physics, and philosophies of science and mind, and has interviewed many of the scientists and philosophers behind these theories . . . Musser broaches an impressive array of topics, including quantum gravity, causation, statistical mechanics, personal identity, free will and—why not?—reality itself." —Balaji Ravichandran, The Washington Post
"George Musser brings readers along on [a] quest, tracking the development of different ideas and suppositions that aim to elucidate how consciousness might have arisen . . . [Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation] is structured as an overview in the form of an expansive series of questions. It begins with the mechanical and local—say, how a brain might anticipate information—and progresses toward ones that threaten any simplistic notion of reality." —Pitchaya Sudbanthad, Scientific American
"[Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation] is engaging and provocative." —Physics Today
"This is a delightful account of one of the deepest and most fascinating explorations going on today at the frontier of our knowledge." —Carlo Rovelli, bestselling author of The Order of Time and Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
"The renowned science writer George Musser has taken on one of our time’s greatest issues: AI, how it works, and what makes it so powerful. This masterfully written book shows a surprising connection with theoretical physics.” —Max Tegmark, professor at MIT and bestselling author of Life 3.0 and Our Mathematical Universe
"George Musser is one of my favorite science writers of all time. Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation is an important book that will inform both the future of physics and the philosophy of mind.” —Annaka Harris, bestselling author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind
“Electrifying . . . Musser explores the fascinating ways in which scientists are studying the physics of the mind . . . Musser has a talent for distilling complex science into accessible language . . . Lucid and endlessly intriguing, [Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation] will expand readers’ minds.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[A] penetrating account of the connections among consciousness and artificial intelligence, cosmology, and quantum mechanics . . . A skilled reporter, [Musser] chronicles his travels around the world interviewing experts in many fields.” —Kirkus Reviews
"The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote once: 'The starry heavens begin at the place I occupy in the external world of sense, and they broaden the connection in which I stand into an unbounded magnitude of worlds beyond worlds.' In this captivating book, George Musser takes us on a fascinating tour of the modern, surprising connections, scientists discover between the cosmos and our inner world of consciousness." —Mario Livio, astrophysicist and author of The Golden Ratio and Galileo and the Science Deniers
“George Musser delivers stunning clarity on mother nature’s toughest puzzles. The reader will discover some things they thought they understood they don't. And mercifully, some things they thought they would never understand they now do. Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation is a great book." —Michael S. Gazzaniga, author of The Consciousness Instinct
"In Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation, George Musser takes us on a fascinating journey that links the deepest mechanisms of human consciousness to the most advanced developments in AI." —Guido Tonelli, professor at the University of Pisa and author of Genesis
"I couldn't put this book down. The science of what makes reality tick, and what makes us conscious, all explored with lively, inviting prose that draws the reader in, from cover to cover." —Susan Schneider, Director of the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University and author of Artificial You: AI and the Future of the Mind
"Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation is a remarkable book. It offers a wonderful treatment of bleeding edge issues in the physics of consciousness, asking whether we are sentient observers of the universe or whether the universe emerges from our sentient observations. George Musser leaves the reader with burning questions about our place in the universe (or vice versa)—questions whose answers seem tantalizingly within reach." —Karl J. Friston FRS, professor of neuroscience at University College London
"In this book, George Musser entices the reader to ask whether in the gap between consciousness, qualia, and free will, on the one hand, and neurons, electrophysiology, neural networks, quantum mechanics, and emergent behavior on the other, there might now be a new scientific synthesis necessary. Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation is a sprightly and beguiling read." —John Hopfield, professor emeritus at Princeton University and former president of the American Physical Society
Kirkus Reviews
2023-08-25
Penetrating account of the connections among consciousness and artificial intelligence, cosmology, and quantum mechanics.
Musser, a contributing editor for Scientific American and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory and Spooky Action at a Distance, obviously has no fear of difficult subjects. This book should not serve as an introduction to human consciousness, but readers who pay attention will learn a great deal. The author begins by pointing out that “we are composed of matter, and we are conscious.” Therefore, he continues, “it must be possible to recognize these two facts.” Scientists specialize in taking things that seem different, such as matter and energy or electricity and magnetism, and showing that “they are essentially the same. Can they do that for matter and mind?” Not yet, notes the author, but they’re making progress, largely by paying close attention to neuroscience, which explores brain function, and computer science, which hit the jackpot last year when researchers demonstrated spectacular AI programs (ChatGPT and DALL-E) that are so creative and communicate so convincingly that experts have concluded only that they are “probably” not conscious. Encountering this conclusion less than halfway through the book, readers may look forward to more insights, and Musser does not disappoint. The difficulty is that consciousness is still an extremely complex problem. A skilled reporter, the author chronicles his travels around the world interviewing experts in many fields (Carlo Rovelli appears throughout the text), showing us how cosmologists muse about the universe; physicists explore information theory and neural networks; neuroscientists wonder how a physical brain produces a mind; and philosophers explore emergence, free will, and causality. Quantum effects are significant, but, like consciousness, no one completely understands them beyond theory. Many consider it possible, in both cases, that we never will.
Deep thoughts about deep issues—but not for the faint of heart.
