Phi: A Voyage from the Brain to the Soul
“Both playful and philosophical, this extravagant book addresses questions about the root of consciousness in a unique way...The book is a visual delight as well as an impressive read, its lavish artwork and literary references demonstrating just how fully complementary art and science can be.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review“Giulio Tononi is a man of bold and original mind who has developed a fundamental new theory of consciousness. InPhi, he calls on all the resources of drama, metaphor, and the visual arts to present his scientific insights, in the form of imaginary dialogues in which Galileo meets Francis Crick, Alan Turing, and other major thinkers of the twentieth century. This is an astonishing (and risky) literary device, but Tononi pulls it off triumphantly. He makes the deepest neuroscientific insights come alive.”—Oliver Sacks, author ofMusicophilia “You may or may not endorse Giulio Tononi’s views on how the brain generates consciousness, but you can certainly agree that his book is a garden of intellectual delights.”—Antonio Damasio, author ofSelf Comes to MindandDescartes’ Error “This wonderful book reads like a popcorn novel but informs like a primer on consciousness and where it comes from. By turns exciting, challenging, and thought provoking, Giulio Tononi’s marvelous imagination explores the origin of thought, sensation, and feeling. Learning about the difference between the cerebrum and the cerebellum doesn’t sound like fun, but here you encounter them amidst fat friars shouting in vulgar Latin, nymphs of radiant beauty, and a mysterious juggler on a unicycle. I’ve always taken pride in being a conscious, sentient being; after readingPhi, I’m beginning to understand what it means when I say that!”—Leonard Mlodinow, author ofSubliminal“An original, provocative tale of a scientist’s quest to understand how the brain generates consciousness…A challenging, rewarding read that will undoubtedly alter your consciousness.”–Kirkus  “Charming.” –CultureLab    “Tononi has pushed the study of consciousness forward…the book is lavishly illustrated with paintings and scientific images, poetically written, and unashamedly speculative, weighing some of the ‘meaning of life’ questions Tononi has been thinking about during his long career as a consciousness researcher. It’s a fascinating celebration of the complexity of the brain and mind.”–Boston Globe