num_pages: 352
description: No one can escape a sense of awe when reflecting on the workings of the we see we hear we feel we are aware of the world around us. But what is the mind? What do we mean when we say we are aware of something? What is this peculiar state in our heads at once utterly familiar and bewilderingly mysterious that we call awareness or consciousness?In Physics in Mind  eminent biophysicist Werner R. Loewenstein argues that to answer these questions we must first understand the physical mechanisms that underlie the workings of the mind. And so begins an exhilarating journey along the sensory data stream of the brain which shows how our most complex organ processes the vast amounts of information coming in through our senses to create a coherent meaningful picture of the world. Bringing information theory to bear on recent advances in the neurosciences Loewenstein reveals a web of immense computational power inside the brain. He introduces the revolutionary idea that quantum mechanics could be fundamental to how our minds almost instantaneously deal with staggering amounts of information as in the case of the information streaming through our eyes.Combining cutting-edge research in neuroscience and physics Loewenstein presents an ambitious hypothesis about the parallel processing of sensory information that is the heart hub and pivot of the cognitive brain. Wide-ranging and brimming with insight Physics in Mind breaks new ground in our understanding of how the mind works.
language: English
title: Physics in Mind: A Quantum View of the Brain
publisher: Basic Books