Beyond the Brain

If a chimpanzee in the zoo has been collecting stones every morning for years and throwing them at visitors in an excited and aggressive mood throughout the day, and if he has stored these stones calmly, determinedly and systematically before he needs them, does this behavior mean planning for the future? Could animals have a developed form of consciousness like us humans and an "inner world" very similar to ours? What are their (and our) cognitive capacities? How did our brain evolve? How did it interact with the environment in this process? Seeking answers to these and similar questions, psychologist Louise Barrett conveys the latest points reached by psychology and neuroscience today, without falling into the trap of an anthropomorphic perspective. In his book, the author combines chaos theories with the latest neuroscientific findings and sheds light on the human and animal brain that has evolved over 600 million years. Arguing that the mind is not just the brain, Barrett emphasizes how researching the processes of cognition and behavior with an "embodied" approach expands and enriches our understanding of the mind. If the body and the environment are one of the components of what we call "mind", how come there are people with different types of bodies and living in different environments? It examines how other living animals reason in ways similar to our own that allow us to attribute human-like mental states to them.

"Barrett's excellent book will be a beacon of illumination to future generations of scientists studying cognitive evolution."
-Daniel J. Povinelli, Human Ethology Bulletin-

"It is difficult to find a book that is both philosophically and scientifically rich. I recommend this book to both general readers and university students."
-Roy Sugarman, Metapsychology-

"Beyond the Brain is a book that is both entertaining and instructive. It also has very solid arguments. It will be an indispensable resource for cognitive scientists."
-Mirko Farina, Phenomenology and Cognitive Sciences-
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 305

Year of Printing: 2014


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Alfa Publishing

First Print Year: 2014

Language Turkish