Ways of Comprehending

To comprehend the world around us, we first have to decipher how our brains work. This book outlines a new approach to knowledge and comprehension based on the elucidation of several basic neuronal mechanisms. It explores the crucial fact that unconscious processes and conscious experiences form a continuum and, importantly, introduces the concept of metarepresentations. This fundamental notion captures the essence of being human, namely, what separates us from our evolutionary predecessors. Important examples of metarepresentations are language, mathematics, technology and the arts. The interdisciplinary, integrative approach of this book demonstrates how different disciplines and notions which appear disconnected are actually closely related. Furthermore, this approach elucidates how we think about topics such as mathematics, physics, painting, music and philosophy. Most significantly, it helps us understand the origin of our thoughts, feelings and actions, bringing deep insight and fulfilment or, more precisely, eudemonia.
Antonio Damasio, the preeminent worldwide neuroscientist in the area of emotions-feelings, writes in his endorsement:"[...] In brief, we need to comprehend how we comprehend. This is the monumental enterprise that Athanassios Fokas has set for himself, and his new book shows that he is succeeding". Also, the leading neuroscientist Nikos Logothetis writes: "A marvellous book. It is remarkable that questions which distinguished neuroscientists, including Noble Laureates, could not address, are answered by Fokas. If this book is studied, it will have a significant impact on our culture".

The Grand Illusion and the Essence of being Human
 |October 2024
Pages: 424

Publisher:World Scientific