The Emotion Machine explains how our minds work, how they progress from simple kinds of thought to more complex forms that enable us to reflect on ourselves — what most people refer to as consciousness, or self-awareness. Unlike other broad theories of the mind, this book proceeds in a step-by-step fashion that draws on detailed and specific examples. It shows that thinking — even higher-level thinking — can be broken down into a series of specific actions. From emotional states to goals and attachments and on to consciousness and awareness of self, we can understand the process of thinking in all its intricacy. And once we understand thinking, we can build machines — artificial intelligences — that can assist with our thinking, machines that can follow the same thinking patterns that we follow and that can think as we do. These humanlike thinking machines would also be emotion machines — just as we are.

This is a brilliant book that challenges many ideas about thinking and the mind. It is as insightful and provocative as it is original, the fruit of a lifetime spent thinking about thinking.

-- James W. Lance, The New York Times Book Review (New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year)

-- Douglas R. Hofstadter, author of Gödel, Escher, Bach

-- Isaac Asimov, Information Week

Introduction

1 Falling In Love

2 Attachments And Goals

3 From Pain To Suffering

4 Consciousness

5 Levels Of Mental Activities

6 Common Sense

7 Thinking

8 Resourcefulness

9 The Self

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index