The Elephant and the Blind review: Thomas Metzinger hunts for ‘pure consciousness’
The Elephant and the Blind
Thomas Metzinger (MIT Press)
Books about consciousness don’t come any more radical (or with a longer title) than The Elephant and the Blind: The experience of pure consciousness – philosophy, science, and 500+ experiential reports. As you might guess, its author, Thomas Metzinger, has carried out a monumental study of the state of “pure”, or “minimal”, consciousness, experienced during meditation and of which we may all have had glimpses.
In his book, Metzinger sends a powerful triple message: we should rethink how to study consciousness scientifically; celebrate the wonder of these experiences of pure consciousness…
Article amended on 25 April 2024
We removed a reference to Metzinger’s book being “expensive”, as although it retails for US$80 in paperback, it has also been made available as open access.
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