ABSTRACT
This chapter reconstructs the modern history of consciousness research from the 17th century to today, from the Cartesian dualism and the birth of the modern concept of consciousness to the rise of experimental psychology and the era of consciousness, by studying the main theories on consciousness developed during this period in philosophy, experimental psychology, neuroscience, computer science and quantum physics. This study identifies major trends and gaps in current research and develops a unifying transdisciplinary research approach to build a unified framework for consciousness research and to further understand consciousness in relation to the process of life and the evolution of the universe.
