In this work, Kathleen V. Wider discusses Jean-Paul Sartre's analysis of consciousness in Being and Nothingness in light of recent work by analytic philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists. She brings together phenomenological and scientific understandings of the nature of consciousness and argues that the two approaches can strengthen and suppport each other. Work on consciousness from two very different philosophical traditions—the continental and analytic—contributes to her explanation of the deep-seated intuition that all consciousness is self-consciousness.

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A coherent and convincing theory of consciousness.

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Wider's discussion is coherent, detailed, and fascinating, and her account of recent work on consciousness and embodiment is well informed. A major strength of her book is its clarity, both organizational and conceptual. She writes in a direct and unpretentious style, and presents frequent summaries and reminders of earlier points, so the intricacies of the argument are easy to follow.

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This book is a complex and intriguing work. Wider has woven a sustained argument from a wealth of scholarly material drawn from distinct traditions in support of her two interrelated theses: that consciousness is invariably self-consciousness and that the body is the subject of self-consciousness... It certainly challenges students of Sartre to reconsider his notion of human freedom in light of our incarnate nature.

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This book is a product of that all too rare blindness to the boundary separating philosophy into analytic and continental; if not a blindness, then a healthy disregard... Wider's open-mindedness and expansive erudition find their rewards in a treatment of the issues raised that is likely to appeal to any philosophy convinced that an acknowledgement of both first-person and third-person perspectives is necessary for an understanding of mind.

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A thoughtful book.... Wider does a great job of guiding the reader through her theses and presenting clearly written arguments.