A radical new book sets out to hunt for 'pure consciousness'

The Elephant and the Blind
Thomas Metzinger (MIT Press)

Books about consciousness don’t come any more radical (or with a longer title) than The Elephant and the Blind: The experience of pure consciousness – philosophy, science, and 500+ experiential reports. As you might guess, its author, Thomas Metzinger, has carried out a monumental study of the state of “pure”, or “minimal”, consciousness, experienced during meditation and of which we may all have had glimpses.

In his book, Metzinger sends a powerful triple message: we should rethink how to study consciousness scientifically; celebrate the wonder of these experiences of pure consciousness…