How can we explain the nature, recurrence and meaning of dreams?.

The Oracle of Night makes a resounding case for the mystery, beauty and cognitive importance of dreams. Ribeiro marshals prodigious evidence to bolster his case that a dream is not simply 'fragments of memory assembled at random' (as he summarizes Francis Crick’s dismissive position), but instead is a 'privileged moment for prospecting the unconscious'.

If this were just a science book it would be rich and full, but Ribeiro weaves in a history of dreaming, selecting ideas that support his evolutionary argument.

... a capacious examination of the phenomenon of dreaming.

Neuroscientist Ribeiro sheds light on the psychology, philosophy, and evolution behind dreams in his wide-ranging if far-fetched debut.