Dr. Benjamin Mijuskovic

Praise for Theories of Consciousness

Check out the latest edition of Philosophy in Review volume 44 including praise for Theories of Consciousness and the Problem of Evil in the History of Ideas.

Mijuskovic’s recent publication is “his finest work to date for its humanity, compassion, and purpose.”

Ben Lazare Mijuskovic. Theories of Consciousness and the Problem of Evil in the History of Ideas. Palgrave Macmillan 2023. 211 pp. $119.99 USD (Hardcover 9783031264047); $39.99 USD (Paperback 9783031264078).

Ben Mijuskovic expands his life work in the eighth major publication of an interdisciplinary series examining layers and relationships of consciousness and loneliness within philosophical, psychological, and literary contexts. This latest installment includes refreshingly personal dimensions of his family history in Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Yugoslavia from turn of the twentieth century, throughout World War I, and in the aftermath of World War II. Mijuskovic’s grandfather and father negotiated complex political relationships with notable figures like Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, King Peter II of Serbia, and President Tito of Yugoslavia. When addressing his philosophy of evil and psychology of narcissism, Mijuskovic’s calculated autobiography offers a unique study in human depravity and suffering with both oppressed and oppressor in view. The current conflict in Ukraine and the Balkans with Russia stems from the unresolved dynamics and power struggle Mijuskovic’s mother and father survived upon arriving to the United States in the late 1940s. Theories of Consciousness ventures into unfamiliar territory for the author in this exploration of his family history from an ethical stance. His career and numerous publications in philosophy of mind and psychology ground this work in most Existential and personal ways. In sum, this work constitutes his own theory of consciousness and struggle with the problem of evil. As a student and avid reader of Mijuskovic, Theories of Consciousness and the Problem of Evil in the History of Ideas is his finest work to date for its humanity, compassion, and purpose.

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Palgrave MacMillan Release January 2023

Dr. Ben Lazare Mijuskovic has another installment in The Philosophical Roots of Loneliness and Intimacy to open the New Year.

In this book, Mijuskovic combines Kant’s theory of reflexive self-consciousness with Husserl’s transcendent principle of intentionality to describe the distinctive philosophical, psychological, and sociological roots of loneliness and intimacy. He argues that loneliness is innate, unavoidable, and constituted by the structure of self-consciousness itself.

Check it out on Palgrave Macmillan’s official site for details.

Dr. Mijuskovic presents at the 2nd International Pandisciplinary Symposium on Solitude in Community

Dr. Benjamin Mijuskovic had the privilege of attending and presenting this international gathering of scholars focused on solitude. We hope you enjoy this talk from September 2020 which ties together the work from his two recent books focused on the history of philosophy and psychology of Loneliness published by Brill and Praeger.

Praise and Publicity for Consciousness and Loneliness: Theoria and Praxis

Book Reviews

Dr. Benjamin Mijuskovic’s recently published work Consciousness and Loneliness: Theoria and Praxis has been getting some much needed attention at the start of this new decade.

Much appreciation to Joshua Marcus Cragle from the University of Amsterdam for his fantastic review in Journal of Thought Fall/Winter 2019 edition vol. 53: 3 & 4.

Michael D. Bobo wrote a review in Philosophy in Review 40 (1):31-33 (2020) to promote Dr. Mijuskovic’s life work and exploration in the nature of human consciousness and its social, psychological and therapeutic effects .

There will be more reviews pending this year. Stay tuned.

Public Speaking Events

Dr. Mijuskovic spoke at Tampere University in December 2019 focusing on “Loneliness and the Built Environment.”

He will be visiting a Conference in April 2020 hosted by the University of Szczecin and York St. John University titled “Solitude in the Community: Alone Together Again“

Brill Release 2018

Mijuskovic Consciousness and Loneliness Cover Image

Consciousness and Loneliness: Theoria and Praxis

Series: Value Inquiry Book Series, Volume: 327, Cognitive Science

Current research claims loneliness is passively caused by external conditions: environmental, cultural, situational, and even chemical imbalances in the brain and hence avoidable. In this book, the author argues that loneliness is actively constituted by acts of reflexive self-consciousness (Kant) and transcendent intentionality (Husserl) and is, therefore, unavoidable. This work employs a historical, conceptual, and interdisciplinary approach (philosophy, psychology, literature, sociology, etc.) criticizing both psychoanalysis and neuroscience. The book pits materialism, mechanism, determinism, empiricism, phenomenalism, behaviorism, and the neurosciences against dualism, both subjective and objective idealism, rationalism, freedom, phenomenology, and existentialism. It offers a dynamic of loneliness, whose spontaneous subconscious sources undercuts the unconscious of Freud and the “computerism” of the neurosciences by challenging their claims to be predictive sciences.
Publication Date: 
26 November 2018
ISBN: 
978-90-04-38597-9

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