Philosophy and the Brain
Published on 1. May 1988
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-0-19-282167-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book provides an explanation of how the intense activities of cells and brains are relevant to the work of philosophers and to questions about the nature of man, perception, freedom, determinism, and ethical values. It indicates to biologists the importance of them understanding philosophical concepts. The author argues that facts about the activities of the brain provide understanding of the individual as a responsible agent and so illuminate the problems of body and mind. He examines purpose, choice and value through their counterparts in the brain and their manifestations in other animals as well as man. The author describes what research and experiment have revealed about the brain and its functions. He demonstrates that perception is not a passive process but an active search for information: human knowledge, it is suggested, may be a special development of the process of gathering information for life which is essential for all organisms.
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Oxford University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
bibliography, index
ISBN-13
978-0-19-282167-6 (9780192821676)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Part 1 Coding and representation: the problem; purpose, direction and history; what's in a brain?; mentality is not separate from the brain; the brain as an agent - brain programs; living and knowing; information; the maintenance of order - DNA; embryology, adaptation and evolution; the languages of life and of the brain; intentionality; representation and computation in the brain; the origin of signals in the cortex; changes in the brain before an intentional action; some sites of linguistic activity in the brain. Part 2 Perceiving: perception as a search for information; the senses in the skin and their cortical centres; taste and smell; pain and internal sensations; the senses of posture and balance; hearing; vision; the visual cortex; the eye's search for information; some theories of vision. Part 3 Learning: memory; memory as a process of selection; the hippocampus and memory; memory and development; summary of some essential features of memory systems. Part 4 Valuing: wants, needs and values; the hypothalamus; some examples of regulation; emotional responses; ethics; social man; beauty and the brain; freedom and determinism; what am I?. Notes. Index.