Neural Darwinism

This is a magisterial work that sets out a new theory of the function of the brain and nervous system. The author, one of the leading neuroscientists worldwide, considers all of the empirical observations pertinent to this theory and develops from them a theory that provides a fundamental neural basis for categorization of the things of this world, and for developing behavior appropriate to each category. His theory also completely revises our view of memory, which he considers to be a dynamic process wherein neural systems are constantly recategorized. This has profound implications for the interpretation of various psychological states, from attention to dreaming. Neural Darwinism ranges over many disciplines, focusing on critical problems in developmental and evolutionary biology, anatomy, physiology, ethology, and psychology.