“This book follows an integrated approach to consciousness by mapping its philosophical understanding with several well-known scientific theories, while laying the groundwork for a psycho-philosophical model predicting real-life scenarios. It further looks at how different consciousness theories attempt to fill gaps in explanations and explore the first-person subjective experience, commonly known as qualia, shifting the focus from the third-person scientific objectivity. It again investigates a comparative account of modern understanding of the mind–body problem focusing on the ontological question of the emergence of phenomenal consciousness.
The book, an end result of the multidisciplinary research, addresses the mind–body problem from the scientific and philosophical perspectives, and thus identifies the flaws in them, develops a concise Indian model, argues for an integrated unified theory of consciousness by mapping the Indian model with the scientific model, and raises additional research questions paving the way for improving the model.
The volume commands high academic value and deserves attention from both academics and students of philosophy alike.”