Welcome to our book review site go-pdf.online!

You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.

Sign up

Braintrust
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 296

Braintrust

A provocative new account of how morality evolved 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...

Conscience
  • Language: en

Conscience

How do we determine right from wrong? Conscience illuminates the answer through science and philosophy. In her brilliant work Touching a Nerve, Patricia S. Churchland, the distinguished founder of neurophilosophy, drew from scientific research on the brain to understand its philosophical and ethical implications for identity, consciousness, free will, and memory. In Conscience, she explores how moral systems arise from our physical selves in combination with environmental demands. All social groups have ideals for behavior, even though ethics vary among different cultures and among individuals within each culture. In trying to understand why, Churchland brings together an understanding of th...

Brain-Wise
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 494

Brain-Wise

  • Type: Book
  • -
  • Published: 2002-10-02
  • -
  • Publisher: MIT Press

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.

On the Contrary
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 370

On the Contrary

  • Type: Book
  • -
  • Published: 1998
  • -
  • Publisher: MIT Press

Paul and Patricia Churchland take on their criticsâ__with verve,combativeness, and generosity.

Neurophilosophy
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 566

Neurophilosophy

  • Type: Book
  • -
  • Published: 1989
  • -
  • Publisher: MIT Press

"A Bradford book." Bibliography: p. [491]-523. Includes index.

Touching a Nerve
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 305

Touching a Nerve

Describes the latest research in human brain function, consciousness, sensory experience, and memory, and discusses the ethical and philosophical dilemmas that can result from these new insights.

Touching a Nerve: Our Brains, Our Selves
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 345

Touching a Nerve: Our Brains, Our Selves

A trailblazing philosopher’s exploration of the latest brain science—and its ethical and practical implications. What happens when we accept that everything we feel and think stems not from an immaterial spirit but from electrical and chemical activity in our brains? In this thought-provoking narrative—drawn from professional expertise as well as personal life experiences—trailblazing neurophilosopher Patricia S. Churchland grounds the philosophy of mind in the essential ingredients of biology. She reflects with humor on how she came to harmonize science and philosophy, the mind and the brain, abstract ideals and daily life. Offering lucid explanations of the neural workings that und...

The Computational Brain
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 564

The Computational Brain

  • Type: Book
  • -
  • Published: 1992
  • -
  • Publisher: MIT Press

"The Computational Brain addresses a broad audience: neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers. It is written for both the expert and novice. A basic overview of neuroscience and computational theory is provided, followed by a study of some of the most recent and sophisticated modeling work in the context of relevant neurobiological research. Technical terms are clearly explained in the text, and definitions are provided in an extensive glossary. The appendix contains a précis of neurobiological techniques."--Jacket.

The Mind-brain Continuum
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 348

The Mind-brain Continuum

  • Type: Book
  • -
  • Published: 1996
  • -
  • Publisher: MIT Press

Bringing together contributors working on a common problem but addressing different levels of brain organization by way of different tehniques, The Mind-Brain Continuum seeks to determine which scientific questions are most pressing as we move toward discovering the neurobiology of psychological processes. As the title implies, contributions are organized around the notion that mental activity is brain activity, providing a broad, integrated view of a particular subset of brain function. The focus is on sensory perception, processes that include somatosensory, auditory and olfactory processes, as well as research on vision.

Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition
  • Language: en
  • Pages: 190

Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition

“Illuminating, entertaining and wise.” —Nicholas A. Christakis, Nature Conscience, a finalist for the PEN / E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, explores why all social groups have moral systems and how these systems are formed. Distinguished professor Patricia S. Churchland brings together an understanding of the influences of neuroscience, genetics, and physical environment to elucidate how our brains are configured to form bonds and care for children, while also investigating why amoral psychopaths can arise. Churchland then turns to philosophy to understand how morality is transmitted through generations, and why it has become a foundation of all societies. Conscience joins ideas rarely put into dialogue and brings light to a subject that speaks to the meaning of being human.