Philosopher Daniel Dennett died a few days ago, on April 19. When he argued that we overrate consciousness, he demonstrated, paradoxically, how conscious he was, and he made his audience more ...

From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds, by Daniel C. Dennett. W. W. Norton. 496 pages. $28.95. Consciousness Explained, by Daniel C. Dennett. Back Bay Books. 528 pages. $18. The great ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Of all the odd notions to emerge from debates ...

Of all the odd notions to emerge from debates over consciousness, the oddest is that it doesn’t exist, at least not in the way we think it does. It is an illusion, like “Santa Claus” or “American ...