Brain-Wise: Studies in Neurophilosophy

Progress in the neurosciences is profoundly changing our conception of ourselves. Contrary to time-honored intuition, the mind turns out to be a complex of brain functions. And contrary to the wishful thinking of some philosophers, there is no stemming the revolutionary impact that brain research will have on our understanding of how the mind works.
Brain-Wise is the sequel to Patricia Smith Churchland's Neurophilosophy, the book that launched a subfield. In a clear, conversational manner, this book examines old questions about the nature of the mind within the new framework of the brain sciences. What, it asks, is the neurobiological basis of consciousness, the self, and free choice? How does the brain learn about the external world and about its own introspective world? What can neurophilosophy tell us about the basis and significance of religious and moral experiences?
Drawing on results from research at the neuronal, neurochemical, system, and whole-brain levels, the book gives an up-to-date perspective on the state of neurophilosophy―what we know, what we do not know, and where things may go from here.

Self-Help

Churchland, Patricia S.

Death & Grief

Bradford Books

An anniversary edition of the classic work that influenced a generation of neuroscientists and cognitive neuroscientists.
Before The Computational Brain was published in 1992, conceptual frameworks for brain function were based on the behavior of single neurons, applied globally. In The Computational Brain, Patricia Churchland and Terrence Sejnowski developed a different conceptual framework, based on large populations of neurons. They did this by showing that patterns of activities among the units in trained artificial neural network models had properties that resembled those recorded from populations of neurons recorded one at a time. It is one of the first books to bring together computational concepts and behavioral data within a neurobiological framework. Aimed at a broad audience of neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers, The Computational Brain is written for both expert and novice. This anniversary edition offers a new preface by the authors that puts the book in the context of current research.
This approach influenced a generation of researchers. Even today, when neuroscientists can routinely record from hundreds of neurons using optics rather than electricity, and the 2013 White House BRAIN initiative heralded a new era in innovative neurotechnologies, the main message of The Computational Brain is still relevant.

The Computational Brain, 25th Anniversary Edition (Computational Neuroscience Series)

Science & Math

Sejnowski, Terrence J.

Biological Sciences

What is morality? Where does it come from? And why do most of us heed its call most of the time? In Braintrust, neurophilosophy pioneer Patricia Churchland argues that morality originates in the biology of the brain. She describes the "neurobiological platform of bonding" that, modified by evolutionary pressures and cultural values, has led to human styles of moral behavior. The result is a provocative genealogy of morals that asks us to reevaluate the priority given to religion, absolute rules, and pure reason in accounting for the basis of morality. Moral values, Churchland argues, are rooted in a behavior common to all mammals--the caring for offspring. The evolved structure, processes, and chemistry of the brain incline humans to strive not only for self-preservation but for the well-being of allied selves--first offspring, then mates, kin, and so on, in wider and wider "caring" circles. Separation and exclusion cause pain, and the company of loved ones causes ple

Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Morality

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Princeton University Press

What is morality? Where does it come from? And why do most of us heed its call most of the time? In Braintrust, neurophilosophy pioneer Patricia Churchland argues that morality originates in the biology of the brain. She describes the "neurobiological platform of bonding" that, modified by evolutionary pressures and cultural values, has led to human styles of moral behavior. The result is a provocative genealogy of morals that asks us to reevaluate the priority given to religion, absolute rules, and pure reason in accounting for the basis of morality.
 Moral values, Churchland argues, are rooted in a behavior common to all mammals--the caring for offspring. The evolved structure, processes, and chemistry of the brain incline humans to strive not only for self-preservation but for the well-being of allied selves--first offspring, then mates, kin, and so on, in wider and wider "caring" circles. Separation and exclusion cause pain, and the company of loved ones causes pleasure; responding to feelings of social pain and pleasure, brains adjust their circuitry to local customs. In this way, caring is apportioned, conscience molded, and moral intuitions instilled. A key part of the story is oxytocin, an ancient body-and-brain molecule that, by decreasing the stress response, allows humans to develop the trust in one another necessary for the development of close-knit ties, social institutions, and morality.
 A major new account of what really makes us moral, Braintrust challenges us to reconsider the origins of some of our most cherished values.

Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality

Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality (Princeton Science Library, 57)

The Computational Brain, das außergewöhnliche Buch über vergleichende Forschung in den Bereichen von menschlichem Gehirn und neuesten Möglichkeiten der Computertechnologie, liegt hiermit erstmals in deutscher Sprache vor. Geschrieben von einem führenden Forscherteam in den USA, ist es eine Fundgrube für alle, die wissen wollen, was der Stand der Wissenschaft auf diesem Gebiet ist. Die Autoren führen die Bereiche der Neuroinformatik und Neurobiologie mit gut ausgesuchten Beispielen und der gebotenen Hintergrundinformation gekonnt zusammen. Das Buch wird somit nicht nur dem Fachwissenschaftler sondern auch dem interdisziplinären Interesse des Informatikers und des Biologen auf eine hervorragende Weise gerecht. Übersetzt wurde das Buch von Prof. Dr. Steffen Hölldobler und Dipl.-Biol. Claudia Hölldobler, einem Informatiker und einer Biologin. Rezension in Spektrum der Wissenschaft nr. 10, S. 122 f. im Oktober 1997 (...) Die 1992 erschienene amerikanische Originalausgabe des vorliegenden Werkes ist so erfolgreich, daß man bereits von einem Klassiker reden kann. (...) (...) ....ist das Buch sehr zu empfehlen. In Verbindung von Neurobiologie und Neuroinformatik konkurrenzlos, vermittelt es einiges von der Faszination theoretischer Hirnforschung, die auch in Deutschland zunehmend mehr Wissenschaftler in ihren Bann schlägt. Rezension erschienen in: Computer Spektrum 3/1997, S. 2 (...)Das Buch wird somit nicht nur dem Fachwissenschaftler, sondern auch den interdisziplinären Interesse des Informatikers und des Biologen auf eine hervorragende Weise gerecht(...)

Grundlagen zur Neuroinformatik und Neurobiologie: The Computational Brain in deutscher Sprache (Computational Intelligence) (German Edition)

Technology

Vieweg+Teubner Verlag

El cerebro moral: Lo que la neurociencia nos cuenta sobre la moralidad

History & Philosophy

Ediciones Paidós

Neurobiologia della morale

Scienza E Idee

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