Rating: 
Summary: Quantum proof for consciousness, free will and God
Review: The subtitle of Walker's exploration is perhaps better than the title: The Quantum Mind and the Meaning of Life. Unlike some of the other postings here this reviewer cannot gush uncritically about The Physics of Consciousness. It begins awkwardly, it ambles and lurches along for some time, and when it does hit it's stride with science it careens between disciplines with intoxicated gusto, rather than surgical precision. But in the end it's worth the ride. It is an important book as it postulates a testable hypothesis about consciousness, free will and whatever uber-reality may (or may not) underlie ALL THAT IS. (It is a modern re-statement of Thales' theorem that "all is water" --in this case "all is consciousness/will.")To get through this awkward tangle requires some patience and more than a little familiarity with quantum physics and neuroscience. A healthy prior exposure to cosmology, evolution, and epistomology is also useful. But with that background in place, Walker's thesis is nothing short of extraordinary to contemplate. The author's exploitation of a personal tragedy from his young adulthood weaves a personal thread into this tapestry. Some might complain about this intrusion, and it does complicate the development. But it also lends a deep (if idiosyncratic) humanity that this reader eventually found oddly satisfying. Walker goes as far with the philosophy of reality as any Western scientific thinker has been willing to go. It's the most contemporary general proof for an ultimate consciousness, a Platonic "first cause," this reader has ever enjoyed. And it's good enough to merit serious attention. The Physics of Consciousness deserves a place alongside recent explorations such as The Moral Animal (R. Wright) and The Fifth Miracle (P. Davies) as serious contemplations for students of Big Ideas. Just be prepared to be patient with it. And brush up on your quantum mechanics.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm Sorry, What?
Review: What a wonderful read this was for the first 8 chapters. The amazing mysteries of quantum mechanics are well covered, if somewhat more deeply than necessary. What makes it unique though, is that it is interwoven with a concurrent story about a long-dead lover and the inherent questions that death entails. This made for some really gripping, moving reading. It's quite well written, and I was excited that the author seemed to be approaching the questions raised by quantum mechanics in exactly the same way that I had approached them myself. Then, in chapter 9, BAM - a left turn into Zen Buddhism. Not just a left turn into Zen Buddhism, which I understand has some well respected philosophical underpinnings, but a left turn into Zen Buddhism that presupposes that the reader, like the author, accepts that Zen is The Way To Enlightenment. Note this sentence at the beginning of chapter 9: "It was not until recently that I found Zen Buddhism, timeless and sparkling, hidden amid its oriental foil." Timeless and sparkling? Says who? Buddhism, like all religion/philosophy, is the product of the mind of man, and if the reader is to look at it as anything more, the reader should come to it on his own, not have it thrust upon him as if it just simply were so. This whole chapter has this air of presupposition, as if the author realizes that his audience probably knew all this about Zen Buddhism long before he did, and he is now, at long last, agreeing with them. It was so distasteful to me I was unable to finish the book. What a shame. Perhaps I will skim through it at a later date so I can find out more about Meryl.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes the problem of mind head-on. (no pun intended)
Review: When I was about 5 years old, I looked at my hand and wondered what made it move when I wanted it to, ignoring the obvious mechanics of muscle and bone. I've been thinking about it ever since and now at 55, I've finally read a good explanation. Most explanations explain consciousness away as not really existing or talk around it with much hand waving that explains only the muscle and bone aspect; essentially turning it into no more than a row of falling dominos. Walker does an excellent job of not only explaining the problem of consciousness but offers a very plausible explanation. His explanation does not limit our free will to something negligible; he simply shows why most of us have so little free will. And he hints at how we can clear up the static that clouds our effective interaction with the world.
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