Mind and Its Place in the World: By Alexander Batthyány and Avshalom Elitzur (Editors), Ontos, 2008. Irreducibly Conscious: By Alexander Batthyány and Avshalom Elitzur (Editors), Winter Universitätsverlag, 2009

Abstract

One key task of contemporary logotherapists and existential analysts is to confront reductionism when applied to the identity of the human person. Viktor Frankl’s body of work does this with respect to the major theories and movements of his day. It falls to us, however, to continue this work with respect to the major theories and movements of our own day. Chief among these movements is neuropsychiatry when it asserts that human consciousness is nothing more than the mechanical-like workings of our neural apparatus. An excellent way for the contemporary logotherapist to become familiar with the contours and positions in the current debate over the nature of human consciousness is by reading the pair of books herein reviewed: : Non-Reductionistic Approaches to the Ontology of Consciousness, edited by Alexander Batthyány and Avshalom Elitzur (2006, Ontos Verlag) and Irreducibly Conscious: Selected Papers on Consciousness, edited by Alexander Batthyány and Avshalom Elitzur (2009, Universitätsverlag Winter). Both books offer a treasure trove of insight.