The title of this 1998 book was inspired by a passage in Charles Sherrington's Man on his Nature. When that famous physiologist died in 1952, the prospects for a scientific explanation of consciousness seemed remote. Enchanted Looms shows how the situation has changed dramatically, and provides what is probably the most wide-ranging account of the phenomenon ever written. Rodney Cotterill bridges the gap between the bottom-up approach to understanding consciousness, anchored in the brain's biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, and the top-down strategy, which concerns itself with behaviour and the nervous system's interaction with the environment. The author argues that an explanation of consciousness is now at hand, and extends the discussion to include intelligence and creativity. This beautifully written and illustrated book will be valued for its easy access to one of science's last great challenges. It will change forever our view of consciousness, and our concept of the human
This is a beautifully illustrated account of matter from the individual atom to the living organism. The book is divided into inorganic, organic non-biological, and biological materials. It opens wit
There has been an enormous increase in research activity aimed at elucidating the basis for cortical activity in the brain. Among modern techniques used in this area of scientific endeavour, few have proved as popular as computer simulation. Model neural networks are the subject of intense study, and some remarkable properties have already come to light: these networks are able to discriminate, remember and associate. Professor Cotterill has assembled leading experts in this burgeoning field to produce an exciting review of advances. The volume covers the creation of computer models of neural networks, and their use in the study of neural function, of cognition, memory and vision. The results and future directions explored here will have an important bearing on research into brain function, physiology, psychology, biophysics and artificial intelligence.
There has been an enormous increase in research activity aimed at elucidating the basis for cortical activity in the brain. Among modern techniques used in this area of scientific endeavour, few have proved as popular as computer simulation. Model neural networks are the subject of intense study, and some remarkable properties have already come to light: these networks are able to discriminate, remember and associate. Professor Cotterill has assembled leading experts in this burgeoning field to produce an exciting review of advances. The volume covers the creation of computer models of neural networks, and their use in the study of neural function, of cognition, memory and vision. The results and future directions explored here will have an important bearing on research into brain function, physiology, psychology, biophysics and artificial intelligence.
