
This work presents a radical new view of the function of the brain and nervous system. It suggests that the nervous system in each individual operates as a selective system resembling natural selection in evolution but operating different mechanisms. By providing a fundamental neural basis for categorization of the things of the world it unifies perception, action and learning. This theory revises our view of memory, considering it as a dynamic process of recategorization which has implications for the various psychological states from attention to dreaming. It will stimulate discussion about the mind-body problem, the origins of knowledge and the perceptual bases of language. The author won the 1972 Nobel Prize for Physiology of Medicine.
How does the nervous system function as a selective system to organize perception, action, and learning? Gerald M. Edelman, a Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, proposes the Theory of Neuronal Group Selection (TNGS). He argues that the brain does not function like a computer processing information, but rather as a selective system where neuronal groups compete and are reinforced based on environmental interaction, mirroring the principles of natural selection.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this work as a foundational text in theoretical neuroscience that challenges traditional representationalist views of the brain. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in biological sciences to fully grasp the proposed mechanisms.
Page Count:
394
Publication Date:
1990-03-08
ISBN-10:
0192860895
ISBN-13:
9780192860897
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