This work represents Dr. Jaki's rebuttal of contemporary claims about the existence of, or possibility for, man-made minds. His method includes a meticulously documtned survey of computer development, a review of the relevant results of brain research, and an evaluation of the accomplishments of physicalist schools in psychology, symbolic logic, and linguistics.

In a field choked with seemingly impenetrable jargon, Philip N. Johnson-Laird has done the impossible: written a book about how the mind works that requires no advance knowledge of artificial intelligence, neurophysiology, or psychology. The mind, he says, depends on the brain in the same way as the execution of a program of symbolic instructions depends on a computer, and can thus be understood by anyone willing to start with basic principles of computation and follow his step-by-step explanations. The author begins with a brief account of the history of psychology and the birth of cognitive science after World War II. He then describes clearly and simply the nature of symbols and the theory of computation, and follows with sections devoted to current computational models of how the mind carries out all its major tasks, including visual perception, learning, memory, the planning and control of actions, deductive and inductive reasoning, and the formation of new concepts and new ideas. Other sections discuss human communication, meaning, the progress that has been made in enabling computers to understand natural language, and finally the difficult problems of the conscious and unconscious mind, free will, needs and emotions, and self-awareness. In an envoi, the author responds to the critics of cognitive science and defends the computational view of the mind as an alternative to traditional dualism: cognitive science integrates mind and matter within the same explanatory framework. This first single-authored introduction to cognitive science will command the attention of students of cognitive science at all levels including psychologists, linguists, computer scientists, philosophers, and neuroscientists--as well as all readers curious about recent knowledge on how the mind works.

This essay places the emerging brain-Internet interface within a broad historical context: that the Internet represents merely the next stage in a very long history of human cognition whereby the brain couples with symbolic technologies. Understanding this 'deep history' provides a way to imagine the future of brain-Internet cognition.

This book represents the views of one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century on the analogies between computing machines and the living human brain. John von Neumann concludes that the brain operates in part digitally, in part analogically, but uses a peculiar statistical language unlike that employed in the operation of man-made computers. This edition includes a new foreword by two eminent figures in the fields of philosophy, neuroscience, and consciousness.

Does the brain create the mind, or is some external entity involved? This book synthesizes ideas borrowed from philosophy, religion, and science. Topics range widely from brain imagining of thought processes to quantum mechanics and the essential role of information in brains and physical systems.

′Excellent -- a wonderful, readable summary of what the educational world really needs to know about neuroscience′ - Sue Palmer, Literacy consultant and author of Toxic Childhood ′During the past few decades we′ve seen an explosion of information about the human brain. Sorting through the research and determining which findings have applications in the classroom is a daunting prospect. Fortunately, Frank McNeil has undertaken this task, doing an excellent job. Clearly written, immediately practical, this is one of the best books I′ve read in the field. It belongs on every teacher′s and administrator′s desk!′ - Pat Wolfe, Ed.D. Author of Brain Matters: Translating Research to Classroom Practice and President of Mind Matters, Inc. Learning with the Brain in Mind offers a fresh approach to teaching, exploring recent findings in neuroscience and combining them with learning in three crucial and interconnected ways: Attention, Emotions and Memory. Attention is the foundation for intellectual development as part of an essential survival strategy. Emotional relationships are the basis for brain growth and provide the foundations for acquiring cognitive and social skills. Memory has important influences on the sense of self and therefore on learning. The book provides: - evidence of the controversial impacts of diet, television and mineral supplements on learning, both at school and at home; - examples from three research studies offering insights into pupils′ attitudes to life and learning in school; - practical strategies that will help pupils to learn in more effective ways. Promoting new thinking about learning and considering innovative strategies that arise from our understanding of how the brain works, this book will help teachers, parents and other educators enhance children′s learning. Frank McNeil was Director of the National School Improvement Network at the Institute of education, and a former Headteacher, Principal Inspector for an outer London LEA and an Ofsted Registered inspector.

The equation "Mind = Machine" is false. This pocket lexicon of "neuromythology" shows why. Taking a series of key words such as calculation, language, information and memory, Professor Tallis shows how their misuse has a lured a whole generation into accepting the computational model of the mind. First of all these words were used literally in the description of the human mind. Then computer scientists applied them metaphorically to the workings of their machines. And finally, their metaphorical status forgotten, the use of the terms was called as evidence of artificial intelligence in machines and the computational nature of conscious thought.