Addresses fundamental questions such as: how is it possible to experience a complex combination of thoughts, emotions, sensations, memories and beliefs at the same time? How can the firing of billions of neurons in the human brain give rise to our unique sense of self? Which parts of the brain are necessary for consciousness to emerge? What is the difference between human and animal consciousness? Here Gerald Edelman explains the tricks that the mind uses to unify signals from the world into one consciousness, and clarifies his own revolutionary theory of Neural Darwinism: the idea that individual brains evolve to fit their surroundings, growing stronger in the areas most needed.