The evolution of the sensitive soul :learning and the origins of consciousness

Search by :

ALL Author Subject ISBN/ISSN Advanced Search

Last search:

The evolution of the sensitive soul :learning and the origins of consciousness

Ginsburg, Simona, - Personal Name; Jablonka, Eva, - Personal Name;

"A new theory about the origins of consciousness that finds learning to be the driving force in the evolutionary transition to basic consciousness. What marked the evolutionary transition from organisms that lacked consciousness to those with consciousness--to minimal subjective experiencing, or, as Aristotle described it, "the sensitive soul" In this book, Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka propose a new theory about the origin of consciousness that finds learning to be the driving force in the transition to basic consciousness. Using a methodology similar to that used by scientists when they identified the transition from non-life to life, Ginsburg and Jablonka suggest a set of criteria, identify a marker for the transition to minimal consciousness, and explore the far-reaching biological, psychological, and philosophical implications. After presenting the historical, neurobiological, and philosophical foundations of their analysis, Ginsburg and Jablonka propose that the evolutionary marker of basic or minimal consciousness is a complex form of associative learning, which they term unlimited associative learning (UAL). UAL enables an organism to ascribe motivational value to a novel, compound, non-reflex-inducing stimulus or action, and use it as the basis for future learning. Associative learning, Ginsburg and Jablonka argue, drove the Cambrian explosion and its massive diversification of organisms. Finally, Ginsburg and Jablonka propose symbolic language as a similar type of marker for the evolutionary transition to human rationality--to Aristotle's rational soul."--Provided by publisher.OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

Availability

No copy data

Detail Information

Series Title: -
Call Number: -
Publisher: : .,
Collation: 1 online resource (xviii, 646 pages).
Language: English
ISBN/ISSN: 9780262351096
Classification: -
Content Type: -
Media Type: -
Carrier Type: -
Edition: -
Subject(s): Consciousness
Consciousness.
Evolution (Biology)
Specific Detail Info: -
Statement of Responsibility: Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka.

Other version/related

No other version available

File Attachment

No Data

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment