"Gerald Edelman is the first to give exact formulation to what was dreamed of by William James—a unified neurobiological theory that can embrace the full reality of perception, memory, learning, language, and consciousness as we know it. The word consciousness is often avoided by neurologists and psychologists as too vague and intuitive, but Edelman makes it possible to use it again with a new and precise neurobiological meaning. The Remembered Present is a prodigious achievement." - Oliver Sacks, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat "The Remembered Present is an original, thoughtful, and authoritative contribution to the mind-body problem. Edelman's clear account of how all parts of the brain collaborate should convince philosophers of the possibility of explaining consciousness in terms of the material structures and functions of the brain. The book contains an excellent description of recent developments in neuroscience that show the flexibility of brain processes and allow for memory as a process of neuronal group selection It should interest psychologists as well as philosophers and neuroscientists." - J. Z. Young, Oxford University Psychologists and philosophers have often imagined that they can discuss consciousness without reference to the detailed organization of the brain. Neurobiologists, on the other hand, have preferred to shelve the complex problem of consciousness until enough is known about the nervous system. Edelman convincingly argues that no global theory of brain function is possible without tackling the problem of consciousness, and shows that sufficient facts are available to construct a plausible, and testable, theory even now. The Remembered Present should be read by everyone interested in the workings of the brain." - Semir Zeki, University College, London Edelman proposes nothing less than a model of consciousness—one that is speculative but philosophically sophisticated and solidly grounded in his own pathbreaking work on neural Darwinism. This could be the way thinking works! The Remembered Present is a book that everyone interested in the mind—cognitive scientists and philosophers as well as neuroscientists—will be discussing for years to come." - Hilary Putnam, Harvard University Description A genuine understanding of how mental states arise from the structure and function of the brain would be, as William James declared in 1892, "the scientific achievement before which all past achievements would pale." Can a comprehensive biological theory of consciousness be constructed in 1990? Any attempt has to reconcile evidence garnered from such diverse fields as developmental and evolutionary biology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, cognitive psychology, psychiatry, and philosophy.Having laid the groundwork in his critically acclaimed books Neural Darwinism (Basic Books, 1987) and Topobiology (Basic Books, 1988), Nobel laureate Gerald M. Edelman now proposes a comprehensive theory of consciousness in The Remembered Present. Integrating findings generated by the recent explosive growth in the neurosciences with current knowledge of anatomy, cell biology, and psychology, Edelman has been able to construct a detailed model of how we become aware of our own existence.In addition to providing a scientific account of brain function and consciousness, the theory advanced in The Remembered Present will have a significant impact on a wide variety of fields. It provides a new outlook that may prompt fundamental revisions in the way linguists view language, physicians classify mental diseases, and philosophers look at the mind-body problem. Biography Gerald M. Edelman is a Vincent Astor Professor at The Rockefeller University and director of The Neurosciences Institute. from the publisher's website |