Mental Biology: The New Science of How the Brain and Mind Relate [Paperback]

Klemms book provides the reader with a fresh perspective on the mind-body problem and the nature of consciousness. Building on evidence from modern neuroscience, the author introduces intriguing hypotheses on how brain activity relates to the conscious mind. This book is a highly recommended reading for all those who believe that the I has no role to play in the cosmic theatre of life.?Andrea E. Cavanna, MD, PhD, Consultant in Behavioural Neurology, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UKHow the mysterious three-pound organ in our heads creates the rich array of human mental experience, including the sense of self and consciousness, is one of the great challenges of 21st-century science. Veteran neuroscientist W. R. Klemm presents the latest research findings on this elusive brain-mind connection in a lucidly presented, accessible, and engaging narrative.The author focuses on how mind emerges from nerve-impulse patterns in the densely-packed neural circuits that make up most of the brain, suggesting that conscious mind can be viewed as a sort of neural-activity-based avatar. As an entity in its own right, mind on the conscious level can have significant independent action, shaping the brain that sustains it through its plans, goals, interests, and interactions with the world. Thus, in a very literal sense, we become what we think.Against researchers who argue that conscious mind is merely a passive observer and free will an illusion, the author presents evidence showing that mental creativity, freedom to act, and personal responsibility are very real. He also delves into the role of dream sleep in both animals and humans, and explains the brain-based differences between nonconscious, unconscious, and conscious minds.Written in a jargon-free style understandable to the lay reader, this is a fascinating synthesis of recent neuroscience and intriguing hypotheses.A leading neuroscientist offers the latest research and many new idel³"