To comprehend the world around us, we first have to decipher how our brains work. This book outlines a new approach to knowledge and comprehension based on the elucidation of several basic neuronal mechanisms. It explores the crucial fact that unconscious processes and conscious experiences form a continuum and, importantly, introduces the concept of metarepresentations. This fundamental notion captures the essence of being human, namely, what separates us from our evolutionary predecessors. Important examples of metarepresentations are language, mathematics, technology and the arts. The interdisciplinary, integrative approach of this book demonstrates how different disciplines and notions which appear disconnected are actually closely related. Furthermore, this approach elucidates how we think about topics such as mathematics, physics, painting, music and philosophy. Most significantly, it helps us understand the origin of our thoughts, feelings and actions, bringing deep insight and fulfilment or, more precisely, eudemonia.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Für Beruf und Forschung
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
Dicke: 23 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-80061-519-9 (9781800615199)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Autor*in
Univ Of Cambridge, Uk & Univ Southern California, Usa
Prologue: Preliminaries; Basic Notions: Elements of Neurophysiology; Elements of Neuroanatomy; Perception as the Solution of an Inverse Problem; From Homeostasis and Consciousness to Rerepresentations: A Uniquely Human Characteristic; The Transformative Role of Rerepresentations and Cultural versus Biological Evolution: The Origin of Rerepresentations and Language; The Rerepresentations of Art, Mathematics, Computations, and Technology; Heterodynamics and Cultural Evolution; The Interplay Between Conscious and Unconscious Processes: Innate Knowledge and Learning; Memory and Learning; The Neuronal Substrates of Unconscious Processes and Conscious Experiences; Details of Visual Perception; Light, Vision, and Art; Functional Imaging, Brain Stimulation, and Medicine: The Functional Imaging Techniques of PET and SPECT, and the Diagnosis of Dementia; The Functional Imaging Technique of fMRI and an Astonishing Medical Application; Different Types of Brain Stimulation, Parkinson's Disease, Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder; The Quest for the Hidden Reality: Abstraction and Generalization are the Essential Features of Mathematics Generated via Associations; How Can the Problem of Consciousness be Solved?; Epilogue; Acknowlegements;
