Stairway to the Mind: The Controversial New Science of Consciousness

by Alwyn Scott

Overview

Stairway to the Mind explores one of the most exciting and controversial areas of modern science: consciousness and the nature of the mind. The book proposes that consciousness emerges from hierarchical layers of mental reality, in the same way that life emerges from layers of biological reality. The book is aimed at general readers with an interest in the mind and neuroscience, as well as a wide range of scientists whose work is related to the rapidly-growing field of neuroscience and consciousness research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461275664
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	09/28/2011
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1995
Pages:	229
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

1 Introduction.- 2 Quantum Physics, Chemistry, and Consciousness.- Quantum physics.- Chemistry.- Quantum consciousness.- References.- 3 The Chemistry of Life.- Biomolecular structures.- Biomolecular dynamics.- Is life based on the laws of physics?.- References.- 4 The Nerve Afire.- Nerve membrane dynamics.- Nonlinear diffusion.- The Hodgkin-Huxley equations.- Neurodynamics.- References.- 5 Is There a Computer In Your Head?.- The McCulloch-Pitts neuron.- Dendritic and axonal computing.- Synaptic transmission.- The multiplex neuron.- A real neuron.- Quantum effects?.- Can a neuron be modeled on a computer?.- References.- 6 “An Enchanted Loom”.- A brief look at the brain.- Layered structures.- The Perceptron.- The cell assembly.- The hierarchy of cell assemblies.- The cell assembly revisited.- The nature of thought.- Cortical stimulation.- A deeper question.- References.- 7 A Century of Brain-Mind Theory.- William James.- George Santayana.- Behaviorism.- Donald Hebb.- Erwin Schrödinger.- Can a machine think?.- Are we machines?.- Forebrain commissurotomy.- Karl Popper and John Eccles.- Blindsight.- Roger Penrose.- Francis Crick and Christof Koch.- Daniel Dennett.- John Searle.- Erich Harth.- Henry Stapp.- Eccles throws down the gauntlet.- Crick replies.- The hard problem.- References.- 8 “A Great Arc” of Possibilities.- The birth of American anthropology.- Cultural configurations.- Coming of age in Samoa.- Cultural relativity.- Anthropology and modern life.- Ethics.- Biological and cultural evolution.- References.- 9 Toward an Emergent Theory of Consciousness.- Credo.- Quantum consciousness and scientific determinism.- Conservation of energy in the mind?.- Materialism.- Functionalism.- Dualism.- The locus of consciousness.- Artificial intelligence.- Two dreams.-References.- 10 “Then I Tell Them What I Told Them”.- Recapitulation.- Final comments.- Appendices.- A Nonlinearity and Emergence.- B The Mathematics of Quantum Theory.- C The Born-Oppenheimer Approximation.- D Local Modes.- E Schrödinger’s Cat.- F Linear and Nonlinear Diffusion.- G The Hodgkin-Huxley Equations.- H Counting Neural Networks.- I An Incomplete Physical Theory.- References.