Bror Saxberg is a thought leader in the field of learning science, cognitive science and artificial intelligence. As the Chief Learning Officer at Kaplan, Inc., Bror is responsible for the research and development of innovative learning strategies, technologies and products across the Company's full range of educational services offerings. He also oversees future developments and adoptions of innovative learning technologies and maintains consistent academic standards for Kaplan's products and courses.

The mind is a riddle that has vexed philosophers, psychologists, biologists, and artists for thousands of years. In this invaluable volume, John Brockman, editor and publisher of Edge, gathers the world’s most influential scientists and thinkers to present their deepest thoughts and cutting-edge theories in short, accessible essays about the essential aspects of human consciousness and the complex workings of the brain.

Contributors and topics include

Oliver Sacks, M.D., is a physician, a best-selling author, and professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center. He is joined by Ann Farmer at Google's New York Office and discusses his book, "The Mind's Eye." Dr. Sacks focuses on creative people who have learned to compensate for potentially devastating disabilities.

A university psychology professor who periodically writes for mass media, Marcus here punctures the high regard humanity has for its species-distinctive qualities. Whether it’s memory, rationality, language, or free will, our noble human traits are hopelessly entangled with our baser drives, which have survived the dynamics of evolution.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung believed that dreams were windows into the unconscious, but many scientists now believe they may have no deeper meaning.

David Chalmers is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University.

Chalmers is interested in the relationship between mind, brain and reality. He is best known for formulating the "hard problem" of consciousness and for his arguments against materialism.

Sandra Aamodt reveals how technology is changing the development of the next generation in our increasingly modernizing world, both for the better and the worse.

Dr. Jack Lyons is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He got his bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana and his PhD in philosophy with a minor in cognitive science from the University of Arizona. He taught at Florida State University for two years before coming to Arkansas. He works mainly in epistemology, cognitive science, and philosophy of mind.

Dr. Reid Thompson realized as a medical student that by pursuing a career in Neurosurgery, he could think about the brain every day. What he didn't fully realize then was that 20 years later, he would still gaze on the brain with a sense of wonder. In this presentation, he will convey this sense of wonder by describing what it is like to operate on the human brain. We'll take a look at how as the field of Neurosurgery evolves, allowing us to open the windows of the mind, we can imagine what the future might look like.

Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize.