The Hidden Source of Consciousness. In Search of the Nature of Subjective Experience

In his new book, Mark Solms presents a revolutionary theory according to which consciousness is determined by feelings. It is generated not only by the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for intelligence and higher mental functions, but also by a more ancient part of the brain where emotions are born. The cortex becomes the carrier of consciousness only to the extent that it is excited by the brainstem. This is the so-called "hidden source".
The author connects the elementary physics of the living, the latest achievements in computational and affective neurobiology, statistical physics, thermodynamics, and the principle of free energy by K. Friston, as well as the subtleties of subjective experience, which have traditionally been of interest in psychoanalysis. He pays close attention to the subjective experience of hundreds of patients with neurological disorders, whose observations have brought us closer to a more complete understanding of brain function.