Putting Consciousness to the Test: Mapping the Mind Across Cultures and Sciences

"Rethinking the mind through the lens of science, spirit, and civilization." What is consciousness? Where does it come from? Can machines ever become conscious? Putting Consciousness to the Test explores these enduring questions through a wide-angle lens—one that spans East and West, ancient insight and cutting-edge science. From Indian and Chinese models of the mind to panpsychism and quantum theories of awareness, this book offers a cross-cultural and transdisciplinary journey into the heart of human consciousness. It introduces readers to the latest brain research, AI frontiers, psychedelic therapies, and the revival of animistic wisdom. Along the way, it weaves together traditions such as Confucian ethics, Indian yoga psychology, and Daoist spontaneity with modern theories from David Chalmers, Roger Penrose, and Ken Wilber. A bold synthesis for our time, this book challenges the compartmentalization of knowledge and argues for a more integrated, planetary understanding of mind and meaning. First in An East-West Trilogy, it invites us to rethink what it means to be conscious in an age of machines, ecological crisis, and rapid cultural change.