Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences
Cover of the book Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter by Terrence W. Deacon, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Terrence W. Deacon ISBN: 9780393080834
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: November 21, 2011
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Terrence W. Deacon
ISBN: 9780393080834
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: November 21, 2011
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

A radical new explanation of how life and consciousness emerge from physics and chemistry.

As physicists work toward completing a theory of the universe and biologists unravel the molecular complexity of life, a glaring incompleteness in this scientific vision becomes apparent. The "Theory of Everything" that appears to be emerging includes everything but us: the feelings, meanings, consciousness, and purposes that make us (and many of our animal cousins) what we are. These most immediate and incontrovertible phenomena are left unexplained by the natural sciences because they lack the physical properties—such as mass, momentum, charge, and location—that are assumed to be necessary for something to have physical consequences in the world. This is an unacceptable omission. We need a "theory of everything" that does not leave it absurd that we exist.

Incomplete Nature begins by accepting what other theories try to deny: that, although mental contents do indeed lack these material-energetic properties, they are still entirely products of physical processes and have an unprecedented kind of causal power that is unlike anything that physics and chemistry alone have so far explained. Paradoxically, it is the intrinsic incompleteness of these semiotic and teleological phenomena that is the source of their unique form of physical influence in the world. Incomplete Nature meticulously traces the emergence of this special causal capacity from simple thermodynamics to self-organizing dynamics to living and mental dynamics, and it demonstrates how specific absences (or constraints) play the critical causal role in the organization of physical processes that generate these properties.

The book's radically challenging conclusion is that we are made of these specific absenses—such stuff as dreams are made on—and that what is not immediately present can be as physically potent as that which is. It offers a figure/background shift that shows how even meanings and values can be understood as legitimate components of the physical world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A radical new explanation of how life and consciousness emerge from physics and chemistry.

As physicists work toward completing a theory of the universe and biologists unravel the molecular complexity of life, a glaring incompleteness in this scientific vision becomes apparent. The "Theory of Everything" that appears to be emerging includes everything but us: the feelings, meanings, consciousness, and purposes that make us (and many of our animal cousins) what we are. These most immediate and incontrovertible phenomena are left unexplained by the natural sciences because they lack the physical properties—such as mass, momentum, charge, and location—that are assumed to be necessary for something to have physical consequences in the world. This is an unacceptable omission. We need a "theory of everything" that does not leave it absurd that we exist.

Incomplete Nature begins by accepting what other theories try to deny: that, although mental contents do indeed lack these material-energetic properties, they are still entirely products of physical processes and have an unprecedented kind of causal power that is unlike anything that physics and chemistry alone have so far explained. Paradoxically, it is the intrinsic incompleteness of these semiotic and teleological phenomena that is the source of their unique form of physical influence in the world. Incomplete Nature meticulously traces the emergence of this special causal capacity from simple thermodynamics to self-organizing dynamics to living and mental dynamics, and it demonstrates how specific absences (or constraints) play the critical causal role in the organization of physical processes that generate these properties.

The book's radically challenging conclusion is that we are made of these specific absenses—such stuff as dreams are made on—and that what is not immediately present can be as physically potent as that which is. It offers a figure/background shift that shows how even meanings and values can be understood as legitimate components of the physical world.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Dear Mrs. Lindbergh: A Novel by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Mad, Bad, and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Play: Brain-Building Interventions for Emotional Well-Being by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Mindfulness and Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion to Transform Experience by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book The Therapist's Ultimate Solution Book: Essential Strategies, Tips & Tools to Empower Your Clients by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Natural Computing: DNA, Quantum Bits, and the Future of Smart Machines by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Devotion and Defiance: My Journey in Love, Faith and Politics by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Off the Land by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Vessels: A Love Story by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book A Splendid Savage: The Restless Life of Frederick Russell Burnham by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book The Mindful Education Workbook: Lessons for Teaching Mindfulness to Students by Terrence W. Deacon
Cover of the book 8 Keys to Brain-Body Balance (8 Keys to Mental Health) by Terrence W. Deacon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy