Gerald M. Edelman > Quotes

“Consciousness may be seen as the haughty and restless second cousin of morphology. Memory is its mistress, perception its somewhat abused wife, logic its housekeeper, and language its poorly paid secretary”
― Gerald Edelman

“Brains operate...not by logic but by pattern recognition. This process is not precise, as is logic and mathematics. Instead, it trades off specificity and precision, if necessary, to increase its range. It is likely, for example, that early human thought proceeded by metaphor, which, even with the late acquisition of precise means such as logic and mathematical thought, continues to be a major source of imagination and creativity in adult life.”
― Gerald Edelman

“Memory results from a process of continual re-categorization which, by its nature, must be procedural and involve continual motor activity and repeated rehearsal.”
― Gerald Edelman

“Science has always tried to eliminate the subjective from its description of the world. But what if subjectivity itself is its subject?”
― Gerald M. Edelman, Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination

“When finally substantiated by scientific means, such a view will allow an individual to see his place in the world with greater clarity-- how he came from the world and how he may contribute to his fellows while he enjoys for a brief time the privilege of consciousness and communication.”
― Gerald Edelman