How Brains Make Up Their Minds

Download How Brains Make Up Their Minds full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online How Brains Make Up Their Minds ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

How Brains Make Up Their Minds

Author : Walter J. Freeman
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780231120081
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis How Brains Make Up Their Minds by : Walter J. Freeman

Download or read book How Brains Make Up Their Minds written by Walter J. Freeman and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I think, therefore I am. The legendary pronouncement of philosopher René Descartes lingers as accepted wisdom in the Western world nearly four centuries after its author's death. But does thought really come first? Who actually runs the show: we, our thoughts, or the neurons firing within our brains? Walter J. Freeman explores how we control our behavior and make sense of the world around us. Avoiding determinism both in sociobiology, which proposes that persons' genes control their brains' functioning, and in neuroscience, which posits that their brains' disposition is molded by chemistry and environmental forces, Freeman charts a new course--one that gives individuals due credit and responsibility for their actions. Drawing upon his five decades of research in neuroscience, Freeman utilizes the latest advances in his field as well as perspectives from disciplines as diverse as mathematics, psychology, and philosophy to explicate how different human brains act in their chosen diverse ways. He clarifies the implications of brain imaging, by which neural activity can be observed during the course of normal movements, and shows how nonlinear dynamics reveals order within the fecund chaos of brain function.

Making up the Mind

Author : Chris Frith
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118697480
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (186 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Making up the Mind by : Chris Frith

Download or read book Making up the Mind written by Chris Frith and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Making Up the Mind is the first accessible account of experimental studies showing how the brain creates our mental world. Uses evidence from brain imaging, psychological experiments and studies of patients to explore the relationship between the mind and the brain Demonstrates that our knowledge of both the mental and physical comes to us through models created by our brain Shows how the brain makes communication of ideas from one mind to another possible

The Biological Mind

Author : Alan Jasanoff
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 154164431X
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (416 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Biological Mind by : Alan Jasanoff

Download or read book The Biological Mind written by Alan Jasanoff and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2018-03-13 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pioneering neuroscientist argues that we are more than our brains To many, the brain is the seat of personal identity and autonomy. But the way we talk about the brain is often rooted more in mystical conceptions of the soul than in scientific fact. This blinds us to the physical realities of mental function. We ignore bodily influences on our psychology, from chemicals in the blood to bacteria in the gut, and overlook the ways that the environment affects our behavior, via factors varying from subconscious sights and sounds to the weather. As a result, we alternately overestimate our capacity for free will or equate brains to inorganic machines like computers. But a brain is neither a soul nor an electrical network: it is a bodily organ, and it cannot be separated from its surroundings. Our selves aren't just inside our heads -- they're spread throughout our bodies and beyond. Only once we come to terms with this can we grasp the true nature of our humanity.

Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain

Author : Sharon Begley
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0307492087
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain by : Sharon Begley

Download or read book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain written by Sharon Begley and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2008-11-12 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cutting-edge science and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism have come together to reveal that, contrary to popular belief, we have the power to literally change our brains by changing our minds. Recent pioneering experiments in neuroplasticity—the ability of the brain to change in response to experience—reveal that the brain is capable of altering its structure and function, and even of generating new neurons, a power we retain well into old age. The brain can adapt, heal, renew itself after trauma, compensate for disabilities, rewire itself to overcome dyslexia, and break cycles of depression and OCD. And as scientists are learning from studies performed on Buddhist monks, it is not only the outside world that can change the brain, so can the mind and, in particular, focused attention through the classic Buddhist practice of mindfulness. With her gift for making science accessible, meaningful, and compelling, science writer Sharon Begley illuminates a profound shift in our understanding of how the brain and the mind interact and takes us to the leading edge of a revolution in what it means to be human. Praise for Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain “There are two great things about this book. One is that it shows us how nothing about our brains is set in stone. The other is that it is written by Sharon Begley, one of the best science writers around. Begley is superb at framing the latest facts within the larger context of the field. This is a terrific book.”—Robert M. Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers “Excellent . . . elegant and lucid prose . . . an open mind here will be rewarded.”—Discover “A strong dose of hope along with a strong does of science and Buddhist thought.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune

Mind Wide Open

Author : Steven Johnson
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0743258797
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (432 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Mind Wide Open by : Steven Johnson

Download or read book Mind Wide Open written by Steven Johnson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2004-02-27 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, MIND WIDE OPEN IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug. In Mind Wide Open, Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I? Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from. Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid? To read Mind Wide Open is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.

The Book of Minds

Author : Philip Ball
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226822044
Total Pages : 513 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (268 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Book of Minds by : Philip Ball

Download or read book The Book of Minds written by Philip Ball and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2022-06-28 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular science writer Philip Ball explores a range of sciences to map our answers to a huge, philosophically rich question: How do we even begin to think about minds that are not human? Sciences from zoology to astrobiology, computer science to neuroscience, are seeking to understand minds in their own distinct disciplinary realms. Taking a uniquely broad view of minds and where to find them—including in plants, aliens, and God—Philip Ball pulls the pieces together to explore what sorts of minds we might expect to find in the universe. In so doing, he offers for the first time a unified way of thinking about what minds are and what they can do, by locating them in what he calls the “space of possible minds.” By identifying and mapping out properties of mind without prioritizing the human, Ball sheds new light on a host of fascinating questions: What moral rights should we afford animals, and can we understand their thoughts? Should we worry that AI is going to take over society? If there are intelligent aliens out there, how could we communicate with them? Should we? Understanding the space of possible minds also reveals ways of making advances in understanding some of the most challenging questions in contemporary science: What is thought? What is consciousness? And what (if anything) is free will? Informed by conversations with leading researchers, Ball’s brilliant survey of current views about the nature and existence of minds is more mind-expanding than we could imagine. In this fascinating panorama of other minds, we come to better know our own.

Hearts and Minds

Author : Thomas David Kehoe
Publisher : Casa Futura Technologies
ISBN 13 : 096571814X
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (657 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Hearts and Minds by : Thomas David Kehoe

Download or read book Hearts and Minds written by Thomas David Kehoe and published by Casa Futura Technologies. This book was released on 2003 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mammals raising their young evolved brains hardwired for emotional relationships. Around this mammalian core, humans evolved a new, larger brain for abstract thinking. Too often our abstract thinking gets in the way of emotionally connecting with other people. Hearts and Minds shows you how to improve your relationships by integrating these different brain systems. Plus, you'll find: The best places to meet single men and women (page 93). How young men and women fall in love with mirrors of themselves (page 74), when mature men and women love their real partners, including accepting their faults (page 83). How switching gender roles moves dating into a committed relationship (page 139). How to use conflicts to strengthen a relationship (page 146).

Switch On Your Brain

Author : Dr. Caroline Leaf
Publisher : Baker Books
ISBN 13 : 1441244646
Total Pages : 161 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (412 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Switch On Your Brain by : Dr. Caroline Leaf

Download or read book Switch On Your Brain written by Dr. Caroline Leaf and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2013-09-01 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 900,000 copies sold! According to researchers, the vast majority--a whopping 75-98 percent--of the illnesses that plague us today are a direct result of our thought life. What we think about truly affects us both physically and emotionally. In fact, fear alone triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses in our bodies, activating more than thirty different hormones! Today our culture is undergoing an epidemic of toxic thoughts that, left unchecked, create ideal conditions for illnesses. Supported by current scientific and medical research, Dr. Caroline Leaf gives readers a prescription for better health and wholeness through correct thinking patterns, declaring that we are not victims of our biology. She shares with readers the "switch" in our brains that enables us to live happier, healthier, more enjoyable lives where we achieve our goals, maintain our weight, and even become more intelligent. She shows us how to choose life, get our minds under control, and reap the benefits of a detoxed thought life.

The User's Guide to the Human Mind

Author : Shawn Smith
Publisher : New Harbinger Publications
ISBN 13 : 160882053X
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (88 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The User's Guide to the Human Mind by : Shawn Smith

Download or read book The User's Guide to the Human Mind written by Shawn Smith and published by New Harbinger Publications. This book was released on 2011-12-01 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Your mind is not built to make you happy; it’s built to help you survive. So far, it’s done a great job! But in the process, it may have developed some bad habits, like avoiding new experiences or scrounging around for problems where none exist. Is it any wonder that worry, bad moods, and self-critical thoughts so often get in the way of enjoying life? The User’s Guide to the Human Mind is a road map to the puzzling inner workings of the human mind, replete with exercises for overriding the mind’s natural impulses toward worry, self-criticism, and fear, and helpful tips for acting in the service of your values and emotional well-being—even when your mind has other plans. Find out how your mind tries to limit your behavior and your potential Discover how pessimism functions as your mind’s error management system Learn why you shouldn’t believe everything you think Overrule your thoughts and feelings and take charge of your mind and your life

Mind to Matter

Author : Dawson Church
Publisher : Hay House, Inc
ISBN 13 : 1401955258
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (19 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Mind to Matter by : Dawson Church

Download or read book Mind to Matter written by Dawson Church and published by Hay House, Inc. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Best Health Book of 2018 - American Book Fest. Best Science Books of 2018 - Bookbub. Every creation begins as a thought, from a symphony to a marriage to an ice cream cone to a rocket launch. When we have an intention, a complex chain of events begins in our brains. Thoughts travel as electrical impulses along neural pathways. When neurons fire together they wire together, creating electromagnetic fields. These fields are invisible energy, yet they influence the molecules of matter around us the way a magnet organizes iron filings. In Mind to Matter, award-winning researcher Dawson Church explains the science showing how our minds create matter. Different intentions produce different fields and different material creations. The thoughts and energy fields we cultivate in our minds condition the atoms and molecules around us. We can now trace the science behind each link in chain from thought to thing, showing the surprising ways in which our intentions create the material world. The science in the book is illustrated by many authentic case histories of people who harnessed the extraordinary power of the mind to create. They include: Adeline, whose Stage 4 cancer disappeared after she imagined "healing stars" Raymond Aaron and two of his clients, each of whom manifested $1 million in the same week Elon Musk, who bounced back from devastating tragedy to found Tesla and SpaceX Graham Phillips, who grew the emotional regulation part of his brain by 22.8% in two months Jennifer Graf, whose grandfather's long-dead radio came to life to play love songs the day of her wedding Harold, whose 80% hearing loss reversed in an hour Joe Marana, whose deceased sister comforted him from beyond the grave Rick Geggie, whose clogged arteries cleared up the night before cardiac surgery Matthias Rust, a teen whose "airplane flight for peace" changed the fate of superpowers Wanda Burch, whose dream about cancer told the surgeon exactly where to look for it An MIT freshman student who can precipitate sodium crystals with his mind John, who found himself floating out of his body and returned to find his AIDS healed Dean, whose cortisol levels dropped by 48% in a single hour In Mind to Matter, Dawson Church shows that these outcomes aren't a lucky accident only a few people experience. Neuroscientists have measured a specific brain wave formula that is linked to manifestation. This "flow state" can be learned and applied by anyone. New discoveries in epigenetics, neuroscience, electromagnetism, psychology, vibration, and quantum physics connect each step in the process by which mind creates matter. They show that the whole universe is self-organizing, and when our minds are in a state of flow, they coordinate with nature's emergent intelligence to produce synchronous outcomes. The book contained over 150 photos and illustrations that explain the process, while an "Extended Play" section at the end of each chapter provides additional resources. As Mind to Matter drops each piece of the scientific puzzle into place, it leaves us with a profound understanding of the enormous creative potential of our minds. It also gives us a road map to cultivating these remarkable brain states in our daily lives.

Discovering the Brain

Author : National Academy of Sciences
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309045290
Total Pages : 195 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Discovering the Brain by : National Academy of Sciences

Download or read book Discovering the Brain written by National Academy of Sciences and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Mind Is Flat

Author : Nick Chater
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300240619
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Mind Is Flat by : Nick Chater

Download or read book Mind Is Flat written by Nick Chater and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-07 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a radical reinterpretation of how the mind works, an eminent behavioral scientist reveals the illusion of mental depth Psychologists and neuroscientists struggle with how best to interpret human motivation and decision making. The assumption is that below a mental “surface” of conscious awareness lies a deep and complex set of inner beliefs, values, and desires that govern our thoughts, ideas, and actions, and that to know this depth is to know ourselves. In this profoundly original book, behavioral scientist Nick Chater contends just the opposite: rather than being the plaything of unconscious currents, the brain generates behaviors in the moment based entirely on our past experiences. Engaging the reader with eye-opening experiments and visual examples, the author first demolishes our intuitive sense of how our mind works, then argues for a positive interpretation of the brain as a ceaseless and creative improviser.

The Consciousness Instinct

Author : Michael S. Gazzaniga
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
ISBN 13 : 0374128766
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (741 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Consciousness Instinct by : Michael S. Gazzaniga

Download or read book The Consciousness Instinct written by Michael S. Gazzaniga and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The father of cognitive neuroscience” illuminates the past, present, and future of the mind-brain problem How do neurons turn into minds? How does physical “stuff”—atoms, molecules, chemicals, and cells—create the vivid and various worlds inside our heads? The problem of consciousness has gnawed at us for millennia. In the last century there have been massive breakthroughs that have rewritten the science of the brain, and yet the puzzles faced by the ancient Greeks are still present. In The Consciousness Instinct, the neuroscience pioneer Michael S. Gazzaniga puts the latest research in conversation with the history of human thinking about the mind, giving a big-picture view of what science has revealed about consciousness. The idea of the brain as a machine, first proposed centuries ago, has led to assumptions about the relationship between mind and brain that dog scientists and philosophers to this day. Gazzaniga asserts that this model has it backward—brains make machines, but they cannot be reduced to one. New research suggests the brain is actually a confederation of independent modules working together. Understanding how consciousness could emanate from such an organization will help define the future of brain science and artificial intelligence, and close the gap between brain and mind. Captivating and accessible, with insights drawn from a lifetime at the forefront of the field, The Consciousness Instinct sets the course for the neuroscience of tomorrow.

Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind

Author : Giorgio A. Ascoli
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262329034
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (623 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind by : Giorgio A. Ascoli

Download or read book Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind written by Giorgio A. Ascoli and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2015-04-24 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of the stunning beauty of the brain's cellular form, with many color illustrations, and a provocative claim about the mind-brain relationship. The human brain is often described as the most complex object in the universe. Tens of billions of nerve cells-tiny tree-like structures—make up a massive network with enormous computational power. In this book, Giorgio Ascoli reveals another aspect of the human brain: the stunning beauty of its cellular form. Doing so, he makes a provocative claim about the mind-brain relationship. If each nerve cell enlarged a thousandfold looks like a tree, then a small region of the nervous system at the same magnified scale resembles a gigantic, fantastic forest. This structural majesty—illustrated throughout the book with extraordinary color images—hides the secrets behind the genesis of our mental states. Ascoli proposes that some of the most intriguing mysteries of the mind can be solved using the basic architectural principles of the brain. After an overview of the scientific and philosophical foundations of his argument, Ascoli links mental states with patterns of electrical activity in nerve cells, presents an emerging minority opinion of how the brain learns from experience, and unveils a radically new hypothesis of the mechanism determining what is learned, what isn't, and why. Finally, considering these notions in the context of the cosmic diversity within and among brains, Ascoli offers a new perspective on the roots of individuality and humanity.

Your Brain at Work

Author : David Rock
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061943541
Total Pages : 310 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (619 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Your Brain at Work by : David Rock

Download or read book Your Brain at Work written by David Rock and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Your Brain at Work, David Rock takes readers inside the heads—literally—of a modern two-career couple as they mentally process their workday to reveal how we can better organize, prioritize, remember, and process our daily lives. Rock, the author of Quiet Leadership and Personal Best, shows how it’s possible for this couple, and thus the reader, not only to survive in today’s overwhelming work environment but succeed in it—and still feel energized and accomplished at the end of the day.

What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite

Author : David Disalvo
Publisher : Prometheus Books
ISBN 13 : 161614484X
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (161 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite by : David Disalvo

Download or read book What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite written by David Disalvo and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2011-11-15 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reveals a remarkable paradox: what your brain wants is frequently not what your brain needs. In fact, much of what makes our brains "happy" leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which make getting out of our own way extremely difficult. Author David DiSalvo presents evidence from evolutionary and social psychology, cognitive science, neurology, and even marketing and economics. And he interviews many of the top thinkers in psychology and neuroscience today. From this research-based platform, DiSalvo draws out insights that we can use to identify our brains’ foibles and turn our awareness into edifying action. Ultimately, he argues, the research does not serve up ready-made answers, but provides us with actionable clues for overcoming the plight of our advanced brains and, consequently, living more fulfilled lives.

Out of Our Heads

Author : Alva Noë
Publisher : Hill and Wang
ISBN 13 : 1429957190
Total Pages : 231 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Out of Our Heads by : Alva Noë

Download or read book Out of Our Heads written by Alva Noë and published by Hill and Wang. This book was released on 2010-02-02 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alva Noë is one of a new breed—part philosopher, part cognitive scientist, part neuroscientist—who are radically altering the study of consciousness by asking difficult questions and pointing out obvious flaws in the current science. In Out of Our Heads, he restates and reexamines the problem of consciousness, and then proposes a startling solution: Do away with the two hundred-year-old paradigm that places consciousness within the confines of the brain. Our culture is obsessed with the brain—how it perceives; how it remembers; how it determines our intelligence, our morality, our likes and our dislikes. It's widely believed that consciousness itself, that Holy Grail of science and philosophy, will soon be given a neural explanation. And yet, after decades of research, only one proposition about how the brain makes us conscious—how it gives rise to sensation, feeling, and subjectivity—has emerged unchallenged: We don't have a clue. In this inventive work, Noë suggests that rather than being something that happens inside us, consciousness is something we do. Debunking an outmoded philosophy that holds the scientific study of consciousness captive, Out of Our Heads is a fresh attempt at understanding our minds and how we interact with the world around us.