An Anatomy of Thought: The Origin and Machinery of Mind - Hardcover

Glynn, Ian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195136969 ISBN 13: 9780195136968

Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr, 2000

Synopsis

Drawing on a dazzlingly wide array of disciplines--physiology, neurology, psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and philosophy--Ian Glynn explains virtually every aspect of the workings of the brain, unlocking the mysteries of the mind.
Here are the mechanics of nerve messages; the functioning of sensory receptors; the processes by which the brain sees, tastes, and smells; the seats of language, memory, and emotions. Glynn writes with exceptional clarity and offers telling examples: to help explain vision, for instance, he discusses optical illusions as well as cases of patients who suffer disordered seeing through healthy eyes (such as the loss of the ability to recognize familiar faces). The breadth of Glynn's erudition is astonishing, as he ranges from parallel processing in computers to the specialization of different regions of the brain (illustrated with fascinating instances of the bizarre effects of localized brain damage). He explains the different types of memory (episodic and semantic, as well as short-term and implicit memory), traces the path through the brain of information leading to emotional responses, and engages in a discussion of language that takes in Noam Chomsky and Hawaiian pidgin. Moreover, for every subject Glynn addresses, he offers a thorough-going scientific history. For example, before discussing the evolution of the brain, he provides an account of the theory of evolution itself, from the writing and success ofThe Origin of Species to recent work on the fossil record, DNA, and RNA.
No other single volume has captured the full expanse of our knowledge of consciousness and the brain. A work of unequaled authority and eloquence,An Anatomy of Thought promises to be a new landmark of scientific writing.

About this title

Product Description

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Review

Where do our decisions come from? Are we merely reacting to some physical event, the way a lake ices over in the cold, or a tree hit by lightning bursts into flame? Or are our decisions independent of cause-and-effect--divine echoes of some First Cause?

Such questions, normally the preserve of philosophers, are illuminated at the climax of Ian Glynn's masterful and exhaustive anatomy of mind. Starting from first principles, Glynn explains how the origin of life can be explained through mathematics and chemistry, without recourse to a Creator. Logically, therefore, mind--a property of higher-order life-- should be similarly explicable. But the human brain is the known universe's most complex phenomenon, and to explain its workings without postulating any other agency is a daunting task. Glynn starts from the ground up, clearing misconceptions as he goes; he explains the evolution of nervous systems, then offers separate, illuminating accounts of the more significant functions of the human brain--seeing, speaking and remembering. When finally the brain is considered as a whole organ, Glynn cleverly and convincingly bridges the leap that currently exists between neuroanatomy and philosophy of mind.

A history, an anatomy and a bridge between disciplines, Ian Glynn's book is the best total explanation of mind since Daniel Dennett's Consciousness Explained, and a more generous and comprehensive introduction to all the issues. --Simon Ings

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0195136969
• ISBN 13: 9780195136968
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 456