Stairway to the Mind

1 Introduction. - 2 Quantum Physics Chemistry and Consciousness. - Quantum physics. - Chemistry. - Quantum consciousness. - References. - 3 The Chemistry of Life. - Biomolecular structures. - Biomolecular dynamics. - Is life based on the laws of physics?. - References. - 4 The Nerve Afire. - Nerve membrane dynamics. - Nonlinear diffusion. - The Hodgkin-Huxley equations. - Neurodynamics. - References. - 5 Is There a Computer In Your Head?. - The McCulloch-Pitts neuron. - Dendritic and axonal computing. - Synaptic transmission. - The multiplex neuron. - A real neuron. - Quantum effects?. - Can a neuron be modeled on a computer?. - References. - 6 An Enchanted Loom. - A brief look at the brain. - Layered structures. - The Perceptron. - The cell assembly. - The hierarchy of cell assemblies. - The cell assembly revisited. - The nature of thought. - Cortical stimulation. - A deeper question. - References. - 7 A Century of Brain-Mind Theory. - William James. - George Santayana. - Behaviorism. - Donald Hebb. - Erwin Schrödinger. - Can a machine think?. - Are we machines?. - Forebrain commissurotomy. - Karl Popper and John Eccles. - Blindsight. - Roger Penrose. - Francis Crick and Christof Koch. - Daniel Dennett. - John Searle. - Erich Harth. - Henry Stapp. - Eccles throws down the gauntlet. - Crick replies. - The hard problem. - References. - 8 A Great Arc of Possibilities. - The birth of American anthropology. - Cultural configurations. - Coming of age in Samoa. - Cultural relativity. - Anthropology and modern life. - Ethics. - Biological and cultural evolution. - References. - 9 Toward an Emergent Theory of Consciousness. - Credo. - Quantum consciousness and scientific determinism. - Conservation of energy in the mind?. - Materialism. - Functionalism. - Dualism. - The locus of consciousness. - Artificial intelligence. - Two dreams. -References. - 10 Then I Tell Them What I Told Them. - Recapitulation. - Final comments. - Appendices. - A Nonlinearity and Emergence. - B The Mathematics of Quantum Theory. - C The Born-Oppenheimer Approximation. - D Local Modes. - E Schrödinger's Cat. - F Linear and Nonlinear Diffusion. - G The Hodgkin-Huxley Equations. - H Counting Neural Networks. - I An Incomplete Physical Theory. - References. Language: English