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摘要
摘要
We are on the verge of a revolution in neuroscience as significant as the Galilean revolution in physics or the Darwinian revolution in biology. Nobel laureate Gerald M. Edelman takes issue with the many current cognitive and behavioral approaches to the brain that leave biology out of the picture, and argues that the workings of the brain more closely resemble the living ecology of a jungle than they do the activities of a computer. Some startling conclusions emerge from these ideas: individuality is necessarily at the very center of what it means to have a mind, no creature is born value-free, and no physical theory of the universe can claim to be a "theory of everything" without including an account of how the brain gives rise to the mind. There is no greater scientific challenge than understanding the brain. Bright Air, Brilliant Fire is a book that provides a window on that understanding.
评论 (5)
出版社周刊评论
In this challenging, exhilarating leap by a disciplined and original mind, Nobel Prize-winner Edelman (medicine, 1972) throws a neurobiological line between two ships--mind and matter--in the stormiest of scientific seas. In his defense of the biological component of mind, Edelman ( The Remembered Pres ent ) disposes of cognitive and behavioral theories of consciousness. To take up the slack, he extends current developments in brain neuroscience well into speculation. He is far too modest in stating that his goal is ``to dispel the notion that the mind can be understood in the absence of biology,'' for the book is a near-kinetic series of critiques and proposals to connect physics and psychology. The ``Harmonies'' section draws on other disciplines--philosophy, linguistics and psychiatry, among others--to entwine these tendrils of thought into a ``unified theory'' of mind. Illustrations not seen by PW . Natural Science Book Club selection. (Apr . ) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus评论
``Strenuous'' is how Nobelist (Physiology or Medicine, 1972) Edelman describes the difficulties readers will encounter as they ply their way through yet another texty analysis of what it means to be a mind. Like Stephen M. Kosslyn and Olivier Koenig (Wet Mind, p. 235) and Israel Rosenfield (reviewed below), he likes to use old words in new ways, to coin complex hyphenated forms, and in other ways to multiply the prolixity level. Indeed, the three volumes complement one another. All speak to the need to ground analyses of mental functions in brain biology; all abhor cognitive-science approaches that look to the computer as the model of how the brain works. Edelman's approach is based on his theory of neuronal group selection (``TNGS''), which says that groups of neurons compete in the course of brain development, with surviving groups subject to a second selection in which specific pathways and synapses are strengthened according to whether they yield good or useful outcomes to the organism. Finally, there are broad, reciprocal interactions across neuronal groups that yield numerous brain ``maps.'' These ideas mark an evolution of Edelman's earlier work in immunity and development, in which Darwinian selection also figured. Indeed, evolution is key to Edelman's thinking. He, like Rosenfield, sees the emergence of a primary consciousness (possessed by birds and mammals?) rooted in the present and a high- order consciousness (and self-consciousness) occurring in humans as the result of the development of language. Edelman's many allusions to pivotal thinkers in philosophy and science enrich the historical context of his discussions. In the end, however, even he admits the daunting nature of the challenge. How to deal with logic, art, creativity, motivation, emotions? How to relate the importance of social interaction in development and throughout life? We can not yet, and perhaps never will, eliminate philosophy or psychology from the discussion.
《书目》(Booklist)书评
Twenty years ago, Edelman produced the first complete description of the structure of an antibody, which revolutionized immunology and earned him a Nobel Prize. His research goal since that time has been to achieve an understanding of the human brain (and ultimately of the human mind) solidly grounded in biology, rather than in physics, behaviorism, cognitive or computer science, or linguistics. Edelman has made important progress toward understanding the mechanisms by which brain tissue develops (both in evolutionary terms and within each embryo) and the processes through which it functions. Unfortunately, however, he has not yet found ways to express his theory of neuronal group selection (TNGS) in terms accessible to a wide readership. The desire for balance would dictate that all science collections that include writers like Penrose, Johnson-Laird, Millikan, and Chomsky should add Edelman to their shelves, but given the complexity of even this popularized presentation of TNGS theory, only libraries with very sophisticated science readers should do so. Includes photos, diagrams, notes, and bibliography. ~--Mary Carroll
Choice 评论
Nobelist Edelman provides a stimulating and provocative neurobiologist's-eye-view of the relation of mind and brain. An excellent complement to Roger Penrose's physicist's-eye-view in The Emperor's New Mind (CH, Apr'90), Edelman's Darwinian and biological theories of mental processes lead to strong reductionistic claims (e.g., all psychiatric disorders are organically based). In attempting to account for virtually all of human behavior, the book is reminiscent of B.F. Skinner's writings, although the comparison is sure to rankle. Presentation is marred by what are either parochial errors or manifestations of the book's "neurochauvinism": numerous confusions between mind and brain and between language and cognition and the frequent misrepresentation of cognitive psychology. Proponents are embraced and opponents rudely dismissed with the same lack of critical evaluation. Beyond preaching to the converted, the tone does no service either to scholars or to popular readers. Nevertheless, the prestige of the author makes this an important acquisition for a restricted readership. Illustrations range from clear and useful through poor and misleading. Graduate. M. Marschark; University of North Carolina at Greensboro
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
Edelman, Nobel laureate and director of the Neurosciences Institute, is the author of three previous books on the biology of the brain. His latest book advances the theory that the mind has arisen through evolutionary morphology. According to Edelman, the mind is not a kind of computer but a product of the biological forms that have developed through natural selection. To support his theory, Edelman offers a mini-course in modern molecular biology and development. By the author's own admission, this is ``strenuous'' reading, complete with ``strange vocabulary.'' Nevertheless, Edelman presents his theory with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to discover the origins of the mind. Readers well-grounded in physics, biology, and philosophy will find his ideas extremely challenging. Primarily for academic libraries.-- Laurie Bartolini, Lincoln Lib., Springfield, Ill. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
目录
List of Illustrations | p. xi |
Preface | p. xiii |
Acknowledgments | p. xv |
Part I Problems | p. 1 |
Chapter 1 Mind | p. 3 |
Chapter 2 Putting the Mind Back Into Nature | p. 9 |
Chapter 3 The Matter of the Mind | p. 16 |
Part II Origins | p. 32 |
Chapter 4 Putting Psychology on A Biological Basis | p. 33 |
Chapter 5 Morphology and Mind Completing Darwin's Program | p. 42 |
Chapter 6 Topobiology: Lessons From The Embryo | p. 52 |
Chapter 7 The Problems Reconsidered | p. 65 |
Part III Proposals | p. 71 |
Chapter 8 The Sciences of Recognition | p. 73 |
Chapter 9 Neural Darwinism | p. 81 |
Chapter 10 Memory and Concepts: Building A Bridge to Consciousness | p. 99 |
Chapter 11 Consciousness The Remembered Present | p. 111 |
Chapter 12 Language and Higher-Order Consciousness | p. 124 |
Chapter 13 Attention and the Unconscious | p. 137 |
Chapter 14 Layers and Loops: a Summary | p. 147 |
Part IV Harmonies | p. 155 |
Chapter 15 A Graveyard of Isms Philosophy and Its Claims | p. 157 |
Chapter 16 Memory and the Individual Soul Against Silly Reductionism | p. 165 |
Chapter 17 Higher Products: Thoughts Judgments, Emotions | p. 173 |
Chapter 18 Diseases of the Mind The Reintegrated Self | p. 178 |
Chapter 19 Is It Possible to Construct A Conscious Artifact? | p. 188 |
Chapter 20 Symmetry and Memory: on The Ultimate Origins of Mind | p. 197 |
Epilogue | p. 209 |
Mind Without Biology A Critical Postscript | p. 211 |
Selected Readings | p. 253 |
Credits | p. 267 |
Index | p. 273 |