In this task, you are given books product reviews in English language. The goal is to classify the review as "POS" if the overall sentiment of the review is positive or as "NEG" if the overall sentiment of the review is negative.

The Mystery of the Zombie Hunch . As the concept of the modular structure of the brain emerged, objections to the idea took the form of "Well, if my brain's made up of computers, somebody in there has to be in charge.  It had better be me!"   This comment, paraphrased from philosopher Jerry Fodor, typifies what Daniel Dennett has been contending with for many years.  Although the "Cartesian theatre" notion, that the body was one aspect of our being and the mind another - "dualism" -  has supposedly been supplanted, it has not lost its hold on our view of consciousness.  We continue to insist, in some form or other, that "somebody, and it better be me" is inside our minds looking out at the world.  Although we can't find that "self" in there, we have a hunch it's there.    When Dennett wrote "Consciousness Explained" in 1991, it seemed the "homunculus" representing our "self" had been laid to rest.  This excellent collection of essays and lectures, is an update on that earlier work.  As lectures, they have a conversational tone, yet impart many deep insights.  Addressing consciousness through four major themes, Dennett shows us the project of eradicating "dualism" remains incomplete.  Until that view of "self" is discarded, our understanding of consciousness will remain misleading.    The first theme he addresses is the "zombie".  Philosophers have posed the idea that a duplicate person, identical to you in every way but one, is logically possible.  The person would act as you act, talk as you do, have the same preferences and distastes.  But it would not be conscious.  This proposal presumes that something in you could be identified that is lacking in the zombie.  For most of us, who still feel our "self" remains somehow separate within us, the logic seems reasonable.  Dennett carefully examines the implications of the proposal, and dismisses it as modernised dualism.  If a region of the brain holds the key to "self" it remains out of sight and undetectable.    Perhaps the most challenging segment of the book deals with "heterophenomonology".  This tongue-twisting phrase refers to the methods used in cognitive science.  Because consciousness is "often celebrated as a mystery beyond science" Dennett challenges researchers to take a step back from commonly accepted techniques.  Become a "Martian" cognitive scientist to broaden the scope of the work.  One facet of this approach relies on understanding what "folk psychology" is, then building from there.  We prefer to believe that what we believe is entirely private and unaccessible.  Heterophenomonolgy, he contends, will expose aspects of our consciousness we view as a "mystery".      One of those "mysteries" has been wrapped in the idea of "qualia".  Probably one of the poorest concepts in philosophy, "qualia" are things said to possess "intrinsic qualities".  When you carefully examine those "intrinsic" properties, they begin to fade and vanish.  If "qualia" is in an object we see, such as colour, how can it change without our noticing?  Tests of "change blindness" indicate we can miss much concerning "qualia".  Even the philosophic community, Dennett notes, cannot agree on a definition of "qualia".  Yet, like the homunculus in the mind viewing the world, it steadfastly remains in use.  The author examines this idea further in relating the story of "Mary", the colour-deprived scientist.    In "Consciousness Explained", Dennett proposed the Multiple Drafts Model of consciousness and cognition.  In this collection, he enhances the original concept.  With no centre in the brain, consciousness necessarily must be a distributed process.  The progress of imaging and other technologies have expanded our view of the brain's functions.  Dennett argues that the brain is "fame" not "television".  The process is one of competition for dominance, no matter how fleeting.  The mind is not a "top-down" or "bottom-up" process, but a "sideways" one.  Ideas, experiences and other informational bits jostle for "clout".  It's not easy to shed the idea of a special "self" in your mind, but all that's going on in there is still you.     As usual, Dennett has challenged successfully the "established" views of consciousness.  Clearly, he argues, consciousness is neither an arcane "mystery" nor beyond serious and definitive investigation.  The mind-set erecting barricades using the bricks of "qualia" and the mortar of the "Cartesian theatre" can, and must be, overcome for serious investigation to proceed.  Delicacy and care must be employed, but the prize is understanding.  [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada
POS

Conrad's Greatest Novel . Nostromo is simultaneously a great political novel and a great psychological novel.  A large part of Conrad's achievement is his fusion of these 2 elements into one seamless narrative.  Nostromo describes the penetration of a Latin American country by European/North American capitalism and the ensuing revolution.  All the characters in Nostromo are engaged in the intensely political acts carrying the plot forward.  Conrad based his narrative on a considerable amount of research on contemporary Latin America and the articulation of the plot elements is elegantly realistic and gripping.  The psychological elements concern characters' motivations for their acts.  A recurrent ironic theme is that important characters are driven to act by motivations that have nothing to do with political objectives or economic gain per se.  Unlike most of his other novels which offer a psychological portrait primarily of a single character, Nostromo features several characters whose motivations and actions are explored by Conrad.  The focus shifts from character to character is a way that consistently advances the plot, a brilliant piece of formal construction.  Finally, Nostromo features some of Conrad's best descriptive writing.  Because of the complexity of the plot and characterization, Nostromo is not the easiest of Conrad's novels to read.  Nostromo is ultimately well worth the effort expended
POS

Another Great Indian Con being lapped up by the world... . Let me start by explaining the title of my review: being an Indian (settled in India, not outside) I am incessantly perplexed by the plethora or completely rubbish books from India which the West just can't seem to get enough of. Books which say nothing about India, and are not about it. Just books set in India, which throw in some curry and some local language, and somehow thus make people fall all over themselves in an attempt to praise the book. My gut revolts against such partisanship, and this is one of those books which is a perfect example of this rubbish trend, and hence is going to get such deserving treatment at my hands.    But let me start by going back a bit in time and giving credit where it's due: after reading his first two books, I came to the very early conclusion that Vikram Chandra was the narrator's Narrator, a storyteller of uncommon brilliance, a weaver of magic tales. On the flip side, like most other Chandra fans, I too was frustrated by his ability to end every one of his stories in the worst all of all possible ways; but I loved his craft nonetheless. I had almost convinced myself that with his next book, I'd stop about 10% before the end of the book, and with Sacred Games, that promise turned out to be very easy to fulfill - I managed to put the book down without dying of guilt about halfway through itself.    Sacred Games is a book about nothing: there are no characters who feel real, it is not about the protagonists' environment, it doesn't rotate around or shed new light on any events, and it doesn't deal with any objects of fascination. Nothing. Nil. Zilch. Nada. A lot of people have talked about this as another of the, if not the definitive Bombay book, but having lived there myself, I can vouch for the fact that this book doesn't even begin to capture an iota of the character or the essence of Bombay. (If you really want to read about the city, read "Shantaram" - now that's a book!) In fact, I think one of the lowest points of the book is how it fails to create any context - the events of this book could almost have happened anywhere, at almost any point in time. (And no, that does not make it timeless - just outright insipid.) Simple mechanisms like linkages to some real-life events would have given the reader something to hold on to - but no, Mr. Chandra refuses to give any straws to the drowning. Reviewers have gone ga-ga over it's portrayal of the Bombay Mafia, but there is nothing said here which is even remotely new, and there isn't the slightest different twist to it. Dons, corrupt policemen, actors, dancing girls, slums, and smuggling - everything has been told, and told much better.     A stunningly stupid highlight of this book is the copious usage of local language without any glossary to help the readers understand what the terms mean. I have almost been a local there, and though I understood most of the local or slang language, there were terms which bewildered even me. I understand that Mr. Chandra believes that this deliberate omission of explanations draws you into the story, but when there are 10 or more such words per page, it will leave a lot of readers more irritated than intrigued.    Overall, I would strongly recommend avoiding this book. The Indians because there is nothing here that you don't know or can't read about in a better written book, and the rest because this is not about India -it's just a forced nowhere story. Save your money and your time. Go buy or read something else.

NEG