An Anatomy of Thought: The Origin and Machinery of the Mind ebook

by Ian Glynn

I abandoned that thought as it was too crazy, until I found "An anatomy of thought" of Ian Glynn.

I abandoned that thought as it was too crazy, until I found "An anatomy of thought" of Ian Glynn. Using the scientific approach, the author came up with the most profound philosophical view I have ever met. Armed with the scientific and philosophical knowledge of the book(especially Ian Glynn's view on free will), one would have a much deeper understanding on many Eastern philosophies (Taoism, Buddhism). To me, the philosophical part of the book could lead readers to the enlightenment state, as religions could do to their believers, but via a logical, scientific path.

If every other book on the mind were to vanish overnight and all that remained were this one remarkable . AN ANATOMY OF THOUGHT This book is essentially, in the words of the author, Prof.

If every other book on the mind were to vanish overnight and all that remained were this one remarkable compendium, the lucky reader could still soon become the best-educated layman there has ever been. -Nicholas Humphrey, author of A History of the Mind.

AN ANATOMY OF THOUGHT This book is essentially, in the words of the author, Prof

AN ANATOMY OF THOUGHT This book is essentially, in the words of the author, Prof .

An Anatomy of Thought book. Glynn's book is much wider in effective scope than LeDoux's: he includes simple introductions to all the scientific concepts that make neuroscience cohere, with well-wrought histories of the concepts' development. Evolution, biochemistry, brain localization, cognitive psychology, the study of perception, and more than a bit of philosophy appear in his pages.

A work of unequaled authority and eloquence, this book promises to be a new landmark of scientific writing.

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). A work of unequaled authority and eloquence, this book promises to be a new landmark of scientific writing.

We’re dedicated to reader privacy so we never track you. We never accept ads. But we still need to pay for servers and staff. to get a general idea of the area to be toured, hurry through the dull parts, linger in those that are more interesting, and emerge knowing a little of the history and features of the area and much better.

Ian Michael Glynn FRS FRCP (born 3 June 1928) is a British biologist and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is the author of An Anatomy of Thought: The Origin and Machinery of the Mind (2003) and Elegance in Science: The beauty of simplicity (2010). He was Professor of Physiology, University of Cambridge, 1986–95, and is now Professor Emeritus. He has been a Fellow, Trinity College, Cambridge since 1955 (Vice-Master, 1980–86). Education: City of London School; Trinity College, Cambridge; University College, London Hospital. Hameroff, Stuart . Kaszniak, Alfred . Chalmers, David John (1999).

Ian Glynn is a Professor and Former Head of the Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, England. Renowned for his work on the sodium pump, the molecular process that charges the brain's batteries, he is a fellow of the Royal Society and an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Close X. Learn about new offers and get more deals by joining our newsletter.

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 of The 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.

Mazuzahn

Thank you!

Zan

Tis book is a solid itroduction to neurosciences. It is not prone to controversy, and it sticks to what we know so far. This is why this is a safe "tour" to the machinery of the mind. Two things make this book better than most other popular introductions to the brain. It covers, or tries to, general and specific knowledge of the field- that is, individual experiments and discoveries (Say, Hubel and Weisel on vision, or Treinsman on attention, or Singer and synchronization)as well as overviews of higher and lower faculties. It evens goes into philosophy of mind and somo thoughts on consciousness-although I am sure philosophers would have a piece of Glynn and his discussion of Kripke's identity arguments. (Glynn is a proffesed identity theorist- believes that mind states are LITERALLY identical to brain processes). The second thing is that it just does not start at an arbitrart level, like genes, development, or cellular biology, but sets from the beginning the brain and mind in an evolutionary framework. And a thorough one at that. Glynn uses the first 100-so pages to lay out the hominid evolution story, and it rivals some other lenghty books on that specific subject.
The style is easy, and it has a swift pace lacking in many other books on the subject. So the 450 pages are actually welcome- brain science is something to be taken whole or not at all. As I said before, the combination of specific studies with general accounts makes the book complete. You will learn of Alexander Luria's mnemonist, as well as Gazzinaga's split-brain patients, all in the course of explaining the brain. It also goes into historical details, with Santiago Ramon y Cajal and Sherington's "enchanted looms". There will also be some computer talk, as well as philosphical dicussion, although this may not be Glynns forte. I have to say that the consicousness sections are not very informative, and this is one of the most promising fields of research right now.
So if you want to learn about the brain, trhough a popular science book, I would probably recomend this one amond a handful of others. You will not miss any important points, but will be spared of every single detail. I have to say that the sections on vision are some of the best overviews on that subject, short of full works that deal exclusively with it.

Thordibandis

This is another "primer" on nerve and brain function written for the layman. I should qualify that statement by saying that this subject is never an easy read. You need to have more than a middling interest in order to pursue such studies beyond a superficial level. My way of studying scientific topics is to read several books on a subject, gaining different perspectives, and letting it all sink in by the repetition involved.
Anatomy of Thought is a fine place to start. Unlike other brain books such as Richard Thompson's "The Brain", Glynn decided to expand his coverage to include a discussion of evolution, origins of life, and the history of nervous system discovery. It's all very interesting, but some readers may be put off by having to wait until after page 100 to start learning about the main topic.
Glynn describes neuron structure and activity, and focuses much attention on vision and linguistics. A very nice coverage of those topics, but only four pages are dedicated to hearing. Much fascinating information is provided on how brain damage affects vision and speech (read also books by Klawans, Sacks and Ramachandran if this topic interests you). Personally I think much of the "nervous history" section could have been skipped in order to provide a carefully detailed description of nerve function. More pictures and diagrams would also have been helpful.
The final section of the book is quite interesting. Forty some pages are devoted to the philosophy of mind, a discussion of the mind-body problem, and free will vs.determinism. If philosophy leaves you cold then you'll be relieved to know that this is really an elective section that can be easily skipped.

Qwne

AN ANATOMY OF THOUGHT
This book is essentially, in the words of the author, Prof. Dr. Ian Glynn of Trinity College in Cambridge, a guided tour of the brain `'...without too much expenditure of time or effort...to get a general idea of the area to be toured, hurry through the dull parts, linger in those that are more interesting, and emerge knowing a little of the history and features of the area and much better equipped to make more detailed visits later.'' Like all well prepared tours through foreign territory, there is a thorough preparation for the journey. In this long-winded introduction the well-traveled guide takes you by the hand through the phylogenesis, ontogenesis and history of the human brain, from Darwinian evolutionary theory through the origin of life to a neuro-physiology of the human brain. He brings observations, experiments and arguments to bear on a view of how networks of interacting neurons form the basis of control systems capable of detecting environmental changes, coding the acquired information, transmitting it along nerves to be processed in such a way that adaptive decisions can be made, a memory of the experienced can be compiled and learning results in the process.
All of this worthwhile effort is necessary for the reader to understand how events in such neural networks account for the emergence of human sensations, thoughts and feelings. Like so many other attempts by outstanding scholars, in the opinion of this reviewer, Prof. Glynn has succeeded in providing a fairly complete picture of the robotic aspects of our brains, however, he has not been able to account for the existence of the same sensations, thoughts and feelings, the current contents of consciousness.... The trip sails along relatively safe as the author courses through memory, emotions and attention but, as expected, things get rough again as he approaches the end of the tour, when he discusses the philosophy of the mind. Of the varieties of approaches menu, behaviorism, functionalism, etc., he selects a variant of the `ídentity' theory and immediately gets tangled in the logic of the argument when trying to distinguish a `necessary' identity from a `contingent' identity and challenging Kripke's argument. ...As we finally come to the end of the tour (Freewill and Morality) of the brain, we travel from the concrete to the abstract. Things get really out of hand, when the author, having confessed being an identity theorist, finds himself in the conundrum of having to admit that, ultimately, the thoughts preceding his actions are determined by physical forces (outside his volitional power to control) and thus he has no free will! To escape his own trap, he argues that, being a unique creation (DNA signature), he exercises his free will in a more restricted immanent domain. He never confesses as to the possibility of being determined by any extra physical agency, from another domain. Is there any other alternative present?
Dr. Angell de la Sierra (June, 2000)