Our Biology Runs Deep: Consciousness Building from Multiple Perspectives

by Roger A. Williamson MD

Consciousness, the awareness we possess of our internal and external worlds, remains the most enigmatic of human traits. Curiosity and personal history have compelled the author to examine consciousness. Evolutionary principles inform the writing. In Our Biology Runs Deep , Dr. Williamson draws upon autobiography to link consciousness to many spheres of scholarship, including psychology. The basic science chapters borrow from the experience of extreme (though not uncommon) mental states that may, if comprehensively understood, offer a plausible glimpse into the genesis of consciousness.

Following the personal narrative, these science-based chapters begin with a discussion of the complexity and adaptability of our forebears, the microbial species. These cells herald the suite of traits and abilities which have evolved, resulting in the attainment of consciousness.

The next two chapters highlight the roles of learning, memory, and emotion as contributors to consciousness. Sophisticated neuroscientific investigations in mice have helped to explicate these subjects as well as disordered emotions that commonly afflict humans, such as anxiety and depression. A deeper understanding of these maladies may help to demystify consciousness. Additionally, the author describes the utility of stem cell research, including the production of miniature portions of organs (organoids) from stem cells. In the concluding chapter he focuses on the subject of reality, the bedrock from which the material substrates of consciousness are derived.

By connecting personal insights to the consuming puzzle of consciousness, Dr. Williamson offers an earnest and intriguing inquiry into the components that may contribute to the flow of consciousness.

276 pages, Paperback

Published August 2, 2022