The Astonishing Hypothesis

by Francis Crick · 1993
Cover of The Astonishing Hypothesis

Mentioned in 1 episodes across 1 podcast: Theories of Everything.

ISBN 9780684194318

About the book

Forty years ago, Francis Crick, along with James Watson, made history with the discovery of the structure of DNA, forever changing our understanding of life itself. Now Crick is once again at the frontier of scientific discovery, turning his attention to the mysteries of human consciousness. Bent on deciphering the complexities of the brain, Crick maps out the neurobiology of vision. The result is a cogent, witty, and richly detailed analysis of how the brain "sees," and a daring exploration of some of the most fundamental questions of human existence: Do we have free will? What exactly is it that makes us sentient beings and different from other animals? Is there such a thing as a soul, … Read more

Forty years ago, Francis Crick, along with James Watson, made history with the discovery of the structure of DNA, forever changing our understanding of life itself. Now Crick is once again at the frontier of scientific discovery, turning his attention to the mysteries of human consciousness.

Bent on deciphering the complexities of the brain, Crick maps out the neurobiology of vision. The result is a cogent, witty, and richly detailed analysis of how the brain “sees,” and a daring exploration of some of the most fundamental questions of human existence: Do we have free will? What exactly is it that makes us sentient beings and different from other animals? Is there such a thing as a soul, or are we nothing more than an immensely complex collection of neurons?

In this groundbreaking, provocative work, Francis Crick challenges the very foundations of current scientific, philosophical, and religious thought.

Where it comes up

Theories of Everything

  • “The mistake that we made was to begin with perception. The model example that we've used since we started scientifically trying to tackle this question. And I would date that to the mid-1990s and to Francis Cricks, the book was the astonishing hypothesis. And that was the beginning of this concerted effort to…”
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