One of our most original thinkers addresses the scientific world's premier question: What is the nature of consciousness?

In recent years the nature of consciousness-our immediately known experiences-has taken its place as the most profound problem that science faces. Now in this brilliant and thoroughly accessible new book Colin McGinn takes a provocative position on this perplexing problem. Arguing that we can never truly "know" consciousness-that the human intellect is simply not equipped to unravel this mystery-he demonstrates that accepting this limitation in fact opens up a whole new field of investigation. In elegant prose, McGinn explores the implications of this Mysterian position-such as the new value it gives to the power of dreams and introspection-and challenges the reader with intriguing questions about the very nature of our minds and brains.