The Cerebral Code: Thinking a Thought in the Mosaics of the Mind

by William H. Calvin

Few philosophers today attempt a nonmaterialist explanation of consciousness, but even materialist explanations get stuck at the mysterious boundary where thoughts arise from synapses. The Cerebral Code offers a physiological model of the brain's thought processes, albeit in a highly technical presentation. William Calvin, overly glib at times, tries hard to present his new hypothesis for the workings of higher intellectual functions in easy-to-understand metaphors and plain language. And while the technical difficulty of the topic makes this a daunting read, the cogent neurological model of human cognition--dreaming, problem solving, and creative thinking--is rewarding. Anyone who wishes to thoroughly understand consciousness should not ignore this book.

Genres: Science, Neuroscience, Nonfiction, Psychology, Biology, Brain

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

William H. Calvin, Ph.D., is a theoretical neurobiologist, Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is the author of a dozen books, mostly for general readers, about brains and evolution.

(source)

Reviews

[Leon M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very complicated and I'm quite sure that I only understood half of it. However, the idea of thoughts competing in some darwinist kind of way ist quite interesting and the book makes you think about the brain and how it works....

[Marko]

I have the english original and the german translation: Die Sprache des Gehirns