Neural Darwinism : the theory of neuronal group selection
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Bibliographic Information
Neural Darwinism : the theory of neuronal group selection
Basic Books, c1987
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Already the subject of considerable pre-publication discussion, this magisterial work by one of the nations leading neuroscientists presents a radically new view of the function of the brain and nervous system. Its central idea is that the nervous system in each individual operates as a selective system resembling natural selection in evolution, but operating by different mechanisms. By providing a fundamental neural basis for categorization of the things of this world it unifies perception, action, and learning. The theory also completely revises our view of memory, which it considers to be a dynamic process of recategorization rather than a replicative store of attributes. This has deep implications for the interpretation of various psychological states from attention to dreaming. Neural Darwinism ranges over many disciplines, focusing on key problems in developmental and evolutionary biology, anatomy, physiology, ethology, and psychology. This book should therefore prove indispensable to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in these fields, to students of medicine, and to those in the social sciences concerned with the relation of behavior to biology.
Beyond that, this far-ranging theory of brain function is bound to stimulate renewed discussions of such philosophical issues as the mind-body problem, the origins of knowledge, and the perceptual basis of language.
Table of Contents
Somatic Selection * A Summary and Historical Introduction * Structure, Function, and Perception * Neuronal Group Selection Epigenetic Mechanisms * Developmental Bases of Diversity: The Primary Repertoire * Cellular Dynamics of Neural Maps * Evolution and Function of Distributed Systems * Synapses as Populations: The Bases of the Secondary Repertoire Global Functions * Action and Perception * Categorization and Memory * Selective Networks and Recognition Automata * Selection, Learning, and Behavior Conclusion * Summary, Predictions, and Implications
by "Nielsen BookData"