From Sentience to Symbols

From Sentience to Symbols

Author: John Pickering

Publisher:

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis From Sentience to Symbols by : John Pickering

Download or read book From Sentience to Symbols written by John Pickering and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Models of the Self

Models of the Self

Author: Shaun Gallagher

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 904

ISBN-13: 1845407229

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A long history of inquiry about human nature and the self stretches from the ancient tradition of Socratic self-knowledge in the context of ethical life to contemporary discussions of brain function in cognitive science. It begins with a conflict among the ancients. On one view, which comes to be represented most clearly by Aristotle, the issue is settled in terms of a composite and very complex human nature. Who I am is closely tied to my embodied existence. The other view, found as early as the Pythagoreans, and developed in the writings of Plato, Augustine and Descartes, held that genuine humanness is not the result of an integration of 'lower' functions, but a purification of those functions in favour of a liberating spirituality. The animal elements are excluded from the human essence. The modern debate on the problem of the self, although owing much to the insights of Locke and Hume, can still be situated within the context of the two schools of ancient thought, and this has led many to despair over the lack of apparent progress in this problem. Today, of course, we often tend to look to science rather than philosophy to develop our understanding of a wide range of fundamental issues. To what extent is the problem of the self a scientific issue? Can insights from the study of neuropsychology and cognitive development in infancy provide a new perspective? Can the study of schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorders tell us anything about the nature of human self-consciousness? Many would answer yes to the above questions, but then is it not also the case that the study of exceptional 'self-actualised' human experience is equally relevant? And can the phenomenological tradition, dedicated to the systematic study of human experience, and contemporary analytic approaches in philosophy help us out of some of the impasses that have bedevilled the empiricist tradition? MODELS OF THE SELF includes all these perspectives in an attempt to cast light on one of the most intractable problems in science and the humanities.


Book Synopsis Models of the Self by : Shaun Gallagher

Download or read book Models of the Self written by Shaun Gallagher and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 904 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A long history of inquiry about human nature and the self stretches from the ancient tradition of Socratic self-knowledge in the context of ethical life to contemporary discussions of brain function in cognitive science. It begins with a conflict among the ancients. On one view, which comes to be represented most clearly by Aristotle, the issue is settled in terms of a composite and very complex human nature. Who I am is closely tied to my embodied existence. The other view, found as early as the Pythagoreans, and developed in the writings of Plato, Augustine and Descartes, held that genuine humanness is not the result of an integration of 'lower' functions, but a purification of those functions in favour of a liberating spirituality. The animal elements are excluded from the human essence. The modern debate on the problem of the self, although owing much to the insights of Locke and Hume, can still be situated within the context of the two schools of ancient thought, and this has led many to despair over the lack of apparent progress in this problem. Today, of course, we often tend to look to science rather than philosophy to develop our understanding of a wide range of fundamental issues. To what extent is the problem of the self a scientific issue? Can insights from the study of neuropsychology and cognitive development in infancy provide a new perspective? Can the study of schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorders tell us anything about the nature of human self-consciousness? Many would answer yes to the above questions, but then is it not also the case that the study of exceptional 'self-actualised' human experience is equally relevant? And can the phenomenological tradition, dedicated to the systematic study of human experience, and contemporary analytic approaches in philosophy help us out of some of the impasses that have bedevilled the empiricist tradition? MODELS OF THE SELF includes all these perspectives in an attempt to cast light on one of the most intractable problems in science and the humanities.


Soils Stones and Symbols Cultural Perceptions of the Mineral World

Soils Stones and Symbols Cultural Perceptions of the Mineral World

Author: Nicole Boivin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-07-04

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1134057490

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Ethnographic and archaeological records feature a rich body of data suggesting that understandings of the mineral world are in fact both culturally variable and highly diverse. Soils, Stones and Symbols highlights studies from the fields of anthropology, archaeology and philosophy that demonstrate that not all individuals and societies view minerals as commodities to be exploited for economic gain, or as passive objects of disembodied scientific enquiry. In visiting such diverse contexts as contemporary India, colonial-period Australia and prehistoric Europe and the Americas, the papers in this volume demonstrate that in pre-industrial societies, minerals are often symbolically meaningful, ritually powerful, and deeply interwoven into not just economic and material, but also social, cosmological, mythical, spiritual and philosophical aspects of life. In addressing the theme of the mineral world, this book is not only unique within the social and geo-sciences, but also at the forefront of recent attempts to demonstrate the importance of materiality to processes of human cognition and sociality. It draws upon theoretical developments relating to meaning, experience, the body, and material culture to demonstrate that studies of rock art, landscapes, architecture, technology and resource use are all linked through the minerals that constantly surround us and are the focus of our never-ending attempts to understand and transform them.


Book Synopsis Soils Stones and Symbols Cultural Perceptions of the Mineral World by : Nicole Boivin

Download or read book Soils Stones and Symbols Cultural Perceptions of the Mineral World written by Nicole Boivin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-04 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ethnographic and archaeological records feature a rich body of data suggesting that understandings of the mineral world are in fact both culturally variable and highly diverse. Soils, Stones and Symbols highlights studies from the fields of anthropology, archaeology and philosophy that demonstrate that not all individuals and societies view minerals as commodities to be exploited for economic gain, or as passive objects of disembodied scientific enquiry. In visiting such diverse contexts as contemporary India, colonial-period Australia and prehistoric Europe and the Americas, the papers in this volume demonstrate that in pre-industrial societies, minerals are often symbolically meaningful, ritually powerful, and deeply interwoven into not just economic and material, but also social, cosmological, mythical, spiritual and philosophical aspects of life. In addressing the theme of the mineral world, this book is not only unique within the social and geo-sciences, but also at the forefront of recent attempts to demonstrate the importance of materiality to processes of human cognition and sociality. It draws upon theoretical developments relating to meaning, experience, the body, and material culture to demonstrate that studies of rock art, landscapes, architecture, technology and resource use are all linked through the minerals that constantly surround us and are the focus of our never-ending attempts to understand and transform them.


Consciousness Reconnected

Consciousness Reconnected

Author: Derek Steinberg

Publisher: Radcliffe Publishing

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 9781857757781

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What is consciousness? The answer to this question has eluded thinkers for millennia. In modern times, scientists have struggled to find a complete answer, often hampered by the limitations of their particular specialisms. Derek Steinberg's unique approach constructs a multi-faceted model of mind involving science and the arts, from which the sense of personal identity emerges. In a masterful tour-de-force, he establishes links between otherwise distinct or even conflicting disciplines. In this radical departure, the author argues that the arts, literature and human culture in the broadest sense make their contributions to understanding consciousness and the sense of self, though they are rarely acknowledged in mainstream debate. Rather than focusing only on what lies between the ears, Steinberg casts a wide net. He explores the connections between sciences and the humanities as he takes the debate into new areas. This book is fascinating and enlightening reading for everyone interested in human nature and the psyche, as well as for students and professionals in the fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, medicine, social science, anthropology, philosophy and the arts, for whom the book is a breakthrough in the challenge of cross-disciplinary collaboration.


Book Synopsis Consciousness Reconnected by : Derek Steinberg

Download or read book Consciousness Reconnected written by Derek Steinberg and published by Radcliffe Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is consciousness? The answer to this question has eluded thinkers for millennia. In modern times, scientists have struggled to find a complete answer, often hampered by the limitations of their particular specialisms. Derek Steinberg's unique approach constructs a multi-faceted model of mind involving science and the arts, from which the sense of personal identity emerges. In a masterful tour-de-force, he establishes links between otherwise distinct or even conflicting disciplines. In this radical departure, the author argues that the arts, literature and human culture in the broadest sense make their contributions to understanding consciousness and the sense of self, though they are rarely acknowledged in mainstream debate. Rather than focusing only on what lies between the ears, Steinberg casts a wide net. He explores the connections between sciences and the humanities as he takes the debate into new areas. This book is fascinating and enlightening reading for everyone interested in human nature and the psyche, as well as for students and professionals in the fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, medicine, social science, anthropology, philosophy and the arts, for whom the book is a breakthrough in the challenge of cross-disciplinary collaboration.


Theoretical Issues in Psychology

Theoretical Issues in Psychology

Author: Sacha Bem

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9780761942016

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This thoroughly revised edition of the classic textbook explores a wide range of problems in psychology, philosophy, cognitive and brains sciences, identifying the major topics, debates, and controversies and presenting them in a balanced and accessible manner for students.


Book Synopsis Theoretical Issues in Psychology by : Sacha Bem

Download or read book Theoretical Issues in Psychology written by Sacha Bem and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2006 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thoroughly revised edition of the classic textbook explores a wide range of problems in psychology, philosophy, cognitive and brains sciences, identifying the major topics, debates, and controversies and presenting them in a balanced and accessible manner for students.


Human Centered Design

Human Centered Design

Author: Masaaki Kurosu

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-06-24

Total Pages: 620

ISBN-13: 3642217524

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This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Human Centered Design, HCD 2011, held as Part of HCI International 2011, in Orlando, FL, USA, in July 2011, jointly with 9 other thematically similar conferences. The 66 revised papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical parts on human centered design methods and tools, mobile and ubiquitous interaction, human centered design in health and rehabilitation, human centered design in work, business and education, and applications of human centered design.


Book Synopsis Human Centered Design by : Masaaki Kurosu

Download or read book Human Centered Design written by Masaaki Kurosu and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 620 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Human Centered Design, HCD 2011, held as Part of HCI International 2011, in Orlando, FL, USA, in July 2011, jointly with 9 other thematically similar conferences. The 66 revised papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical parts on human centered design methods and tools, mobile and ubiquitous interaction, human centered design in health and rehabilitation, human centered design in work, business and education, and applications of human centered design.


Consciousness

Consciousness

Author: Susan Blackmore

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-11-26

Total Pages: 771

ISBN-13: 1444164333

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Is there a theory that explains the essence of consciousness? Or is consciousness itself just an illusion? The 'last great mystery of science', consciousness is a topic that was banned from serious research for most of the last century, but is now an area of increasing popular interest, as well as a rapidly expanding area of study for students of psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. This ground-breaking textbook by best-selling author Susan Blackmore was the first of its kind to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies, from those based on neuroscience to those based on quantum theory or Eastern philosophy. The book examines topics such as how subjective experiences arise from objective brain processes, the basic neuroscience of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, out of body and near death experiences and the effects of drugs, dreams and meditation. It also explores the nature of self, the possibility of artificial consciousness in robots, and the question of whether animals are conscious. The new edition has been fully revised to include the latest developments in neuroscience, brain scanning techniques, and artificial consciousness and robotics. The new website includes self-assessment exercises, advanced further reading, flashcards and MCQs. For all those intrigued by what it means to be, to exist, this book could radically transform your understanding of your own consciousness.


Book Synopsis Consciousness by : Susan Blackmore

Download or read book Consciousness written by Susan Blackmore and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-26 with total page 771 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is there a theory that explains the essence of consciousness? Or is consciousness itself just an illusion? The 'last great mystery of science', consciousness is a topic that was banned from serious research for most of the last century, but is now an area of increasing popular interest, as well as a rapidly expanding area of study for students of psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. This ground-breaking textbook by best-selling author Susan Blackmore was the first of its kind to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies, from those based on neuroscience to those based on quantum theory or Eastern philosophy. The book examines topics such as how subjective experiences arise from objective brain processes, the basic neuroscience of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, out of body and near death experiences and the effects of drugs, dreams and meditation. It also explores the nature of self, the possibility of artificial consciousness in robots, and the question of whether animals are conscious. The new edition has been fully revised to include the latest developments in neuroscience, brain scanning techniques, and artificial consciousness and robotics. The new website includes self-assessment exercises, advanced further reading, flashcards and MCQs. For all those intrigued by what it means to be, to exist, this book could radically transform your understanding of your own consciousness.


Acts of Consciousness

Acts of Consciousness

Author: Guy Saunders

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-05-22

Total Pages: 347

ISBN-13: 1139952005

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Drawing on compelling material from research interviews with former hostages and political prisoners, Guy Saunders reworks three classic thought experiment stories: Parfit's 'Teleporter', Nagel's 'What is it like to be a bat?' and Jackson's 'Mary the colour scientist' to form a fresh look at the study of consciousness. By examining consciousness from a social psychology perspective, Saunders develops a 'cubist psychology of consciousness' through which he challenges the accepted wisdom of mainstream approaches by arguing that people can act freely. What makes 'cubist psychology' is both the many examples taken from different viewpoints and the multiple ways of looking at the key issues of person, mind and world. This is a unique and engaging book that will appeal to students and academics in the field of consciousness studies and other readers with an interest in consciousness.


Book Synopsis Acts of Consciousness by : Guy Saunders

Download or read book Acts of Consciousness written by Guy Saunders and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-22 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on compelling material from research interviews with former hostages and political prisoners, Guy Saunders reworks three classic thought experiment stories: Parfit's 'Teleporter', Nagel's 'What is it like to be a bat?' and Jackson's 'Mary the colour scientist' to form a fresh look at the study of consciousness. By examining consciousness from a social psychology perspective, Saunders develops a 'cubist psychology of consciousness' through which he challenges the accepted wisdom of mainstream approaches by arguing that people can act freely. What makes 'cubist psychology' is both the many examples taken from different viewpoints and the multiple ways of looking at the key issues of person, mind and world. This is a unique and engaging book that will appeal to students and academics in the field of consciousness studies and other readers with an interest in consciousness.


(Beyond) Posthuman Violence: Epic Rewritings of Ethics in the Contemporary Novel

(Beyond) Posthuman Violence: Epic Rewritings of Ethics in the Contemporary Novel

Author: Claudio Murgia

Publisher: Vernon Press

Published: 2019-12-02

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 1622738195

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Neuroscience tells us that the brain is nothing but a metaphor machine capable of extracting meaning from a chaotic reality. Following Agamben, Arendt, Benjamin and Žižek, a theory of violence can be established according to which violence is a reaction on the part of the individual to the frustration generated by having her metaphor machine suppressed by the mythic narrative of the Law. In opposition to mythic violence, Benjamin posits the justice of divine violence. Divine justice is an excess of life, the very uniqueness of the metaphor machine. The individual is affected by a difficulty to communicate her metaphor machine to the Other, as if it were inexpressible. This work explores how the characters in the works of David Foster Wallace, Cormac MacCarthy, J. G. Ballard, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Maurice G. Dantec and China Mieville suffer from these limits of language and the constrictions of the Law. Through violence they look for their individual Voice, intended as their will-to-say, the ‘pure taking place of language’ (Agamben). In their struggle to be heard these characters are however deaf to the Voice of the Other. There is a need for a new Ethics of Narratives expressed through an Epic of the Voice founded on the will-to-listen, along the lines of the concept of the posthuman theorized by Rosi Braidotti. Here subjectivity is a process of constant autopoiesis dependent on the relationship the individual has with the Other and the environment around her, that is, in the reciprocal will-to-say and will-to-listen. Human beings can meet in the taking-place of language, in the place before the suppressive language of the Law is even born, in a meeting of Voices.


Book Synopsis (Beyond) Posthuman Violence: Epic Rewritings of Ethics in the Contemporary Novel by : Claudio Murgia

Download or read book (Beyond) Posthuman Violence: Epic Rewritings of Ethics in the Contemporary Novel written by Claudio Murgia and published by Vernon Press. This book was released on 2019-12-02 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neuroscience tells us that the brain is nothing but a metaphor machine capable of extracting meaning from a chaotic reality. Following Agamben, Arendt, Benjamin and Žižek, a theory of violence can be established according to which violence is a reaction on the part of the individual to the frustration generated by having her metaphor machine suppressed by the mythic narrative of the Law. In opposition to mythic violence, Benjamin posits the justice of divine violence. Divine justice is an excess of life, the very uniqueness of the metaphor machine. The individual is affected by a difficulty to communicate her metaphor machine to the Other, as if it were inexpressible. This work explores how the characters in the works of David Foster Wallace, Cormac MacCarthy, J. G. Ballard, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Maurice G. Dantec and China Mieville suffer from these limits of language and the constrictions of the Law. Through violence they look for their individual Voice, intended as their will-to-say, the ‘pure taking place of language’ (Agamben). In their struggle to be heard these characters are however deaf to the Voice of the Other. There is a need for a new Ethics of Narratives expressed through an Epic of the Voice founded on the will-to-listen, along the lines of the concept of the posthuman theorized by Rosi Braidotti. Here subjectivity is a process of constant autopoiesis dependent on the relationship the individual has with the Other and the environment around her, that is, in the reciprocal will-to-say and will-to-listen. Human beings can meet in the taking-place of language, in the place before the suppressive language of the Law is even born, in a meeting of Voices.


Art, Literature, and Passions of the Skies

Art, Literature, and Passions of the Skies

Author: Anna Teresa Tymieniecka

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-06-30

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 9400742614

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Flashes of lightning, resounding thunder, gloomy fog, brilliant sunshine...these are the life manifestations of the skies. The concrete visceral experiences that living under those skies stir within us are the ground for individual impulses, emotions, sentiments that in their interaction generate their own ever-changing clouds. While our intellect concentrates on the discovery of our cosmic position, on the architecture of the universe, our imagination is informed by the gloomy vapors, the glimmers of fleeting light, and the glory of the skies. Reconnoitering from the soil of human life and striving towards the infinite, the elan of imagination gets caught up in the clouds of the skies. There in that dimness, sensory receptivity, dispositions, emotions, passionate strivings, yearnings, elevations gather and propagate. From the “Passions of the Skies” spring innermost intuitions that nourish literature and the arts.​


Book Synopsis Art, Literature, and Passions of the Skies by : Anna Teresa Tymieniecka

Download or read book Art, Literature, and Passions of the Skies written by Anna Teresa Tymieniecka and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-30 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flashes of lightning, resounding thunder, gloomy fog, brilliant sunshine...these are the life manifestations of the skies. The concrete visceral experiences that living under those skies stir within us are the ground for individual impulses, emotions, sentiments that in their interaction generate their own ever-changing clouds. While our intellect concentrates on the discovery of our cosmic position, on the architecture of the universe, our imagination is informed by the gloomy vapors, the glimmers of fleeting light, and the glory of the skies. Reconnoitering from the soil of human life and striving towards the infinite, the elan of imagination gets caught up in the clouds of the skies. There in that dimness, sensory receptivity, dispositions, emotions, passionate strivings, yearnings, elevations gather and propagate. From the “Passions of the Skies” spring innermost intuitions that nourish literature and the arts.​