Progress in the Neurosciences and Related Fields: Orbis Scientiae PDF
Preview Progress in the Neurosciences and Related Fields: Orbis Scientiae
PROGRESS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES AND RELATED FIELDS Studies in the Natural Sciences A Series from the Center for Theoretical Studies University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida Volume 1 - IMPACT OF BASIC RESEARCH ON TECHNOLOGY Edited by Behram Kursunoglu and Arnold Perlmutter • 1973 Volume 2 - FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS IN PHYSICS Edited by Behram Kursunoglu, Arnold Perlmutter, Steven M. Brown, Mou-Shan Chen, T. P'atrick Coleman, Werner Eissner, Joseph Hubbard, Chun-Chian Lu, Stephan L. Mintz, and Mario Rasetti • 1973 Volume 3 - FUNDAMENTAL INTERACTIONS IN PHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS Edited by Behram Kursunoglu, Steven Weinberg, Arthur S. Wightman, Geoffrey Iverson, Arnold Perlmutter, and Stephan L. Mintz • 1973 Volume 4 - QUANTUM STATISTICAL MECHANICS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES Edited by Behram Kursunoglu, Stephan L. Mintz, Susan M. Widmayer, Mou-Shan Chen, C. S. Hui, Joseph Hubbard, Joseph F. Malerba, Laurence Mittag, and George Soukup • 1974 VolumeS - FUNDAMENTAL THEORIES IN PHYSICS Edited by Stephan L. Mintz, Laurence Mittag, Susan M. Widmayer, Chui-Shuen Hui, and Joseph F. Malerba. 1974 Volume 6 - PROGRESS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES AND RELATED FIELDS Edited by Behram Kursunoglu, Stephan L. Mintz, Susan M. Widmayer, Chui-Shuen Hui, Joseph Hubbard, and Joseph F. Malerba • 1974 A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher. ORBIS SCIENTIAE PROGRESS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES AND RELATED FIELDS Chairman Behram Kursunoglu Editors Stephan L. Mintz Susan M. Widmayer Scientific Secretaries Chui-Shuen Hui Joseph Hubbard Joseph F. Malerba Center for Theoretical Studies University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida PLENUM PRESS • NEW YORK AND LONDON Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Orbis Scientiae, University of Miami, 1974. Progress in the neurosciences and related fields. (Studies in the natural sciences, v. 6) "Proceedings of Orbis Scientiae held by the Center for Theoretical Studies, Uni versity of Miami, January 7-11, 1974." Includes bibliographical references. 1. Neurophysiology-Congresses. I. Kur§unouglu, Behram, 1922- II. Mintz, Stephan, ed. III. Widmayer, Susan M., ed. IV. Miami, University of, Coral Gables, Fla. Center for Theoretical Studies. V. Title. VI. Series. [DNLM: 1. Biochemistry Congresses. 2. Biophysics-Congresses. 3. Neurophysiology-Congresses. W30R49 1974p / WL 102064 1974p) QP351.07 1974 612'.82 74-10822 ISBN 978-1-4684-2918-3 ISBN 978-1-4684-2916-9 (eBook) 001 10.1007/978-1-4684-2916-9 Part of the Proceedings of Orbis Scientlae held by the Center for Theoretical Studies, University of Miami, January 7-11, 1974 © 1974 Plenum Press, New York Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1974 A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011 United Kingdom edition published by Plenum Press, London A Division of Plenum Publishing Company, Ltd. 4a Lower John Street, London, W1 R 3PD, England All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher Preface This volume contains the papers presented during the Neurophysiology Session of the first Orbis Scientiae of the Center for Theoretical Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. With this first Orbis which met from January 7 - 11, 1974, the Center for Theoretical Studies has inaugerated a new set of annual gatherings devoted to the natural sciences and to problems on the "interface" of science and society. The content of the talks presented ranged over a wide variety of topics in neurophysiology, biophysics and biochemistry. A number of the talks concerned various aspects of the brain and its functions. Recent results were also presented on the physics and chemistry of membranes. The papers in the volume are presented in the order in which they were originally delivered. Special thanks are due to Mrs. Helga Billings, Miss Sara Lesser and Mrs. Jacquelyn Zagursky for the typing of the manuscript and for their efficient and cheerful attention to the details of the conference. THE EDITORS Contents The Physiology and Physics of the Free Will Problem John Eccles............................ 1 Is the Brain a Chemical Computer? Georges Ungar......................... 41 Evidence for Phase-Transition in Nerve Membrane Ichij i Tasaki.......................... 59 Languages, Hierarchical Structures, and Logic Eduardo R. Caianiello................. 67 List of Participants....................... 87 Subject Index.............................. 91 vii Ul Q) rl CJ CJ I'Ll s:: .£1 o t-:J H 'r! (f) THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PHYSICS OF THE FREE WILL PROBLEM J. C. Eccles Laboratory of Neurobiology State University of New York at Buffalo Amherst, New York 14226 THE THREE WORLD HYPOTHESIS OF POPPER I will begin by brief reference to the philo sophical basis of my discussion. I refer to the trialist philosophy that has been developed by Sir Karl Popper (1972) in his recent book "Ob jective Knowledge." As illustrated in Fig. 1, everything in existence and in experience is sub sumed in one or other of three worlds: World 1, the world of physical objects and states; World 2, the world of states of consciousness and sub jective knowledge of all kinds; World 3, the world of man-made culture, comprising the whole of ob jective knowledge. Furthermore it is postulated that there is interaction between these worlds. There is reciprocal interaction between Worlds 1 and 2, and between Worlds 2 and 3 via the media- tion of World 1. The objective knowledge of '" '-o :x Z m n n ..... m c.n E e S hr WORLD 3 OWLEDGE IN OBJECTIVE SEN Cultural heritage coded on material substrates philosophical theological scientific historical literary artistic technological Theoretical systems scientific problems critical arguments ted components in tulated list of thei N ab K ula t t ~ sa o S s ph WORLD 2 ES OF CONSCIOUSNES bjective knowledge perience of perception thinking emotions dispositional intention memories dreams creative imagination ess. The three ess together wit T u x nn A S E T ss S uu oo ~ ii cc ss nn WORLD 1 HYSICAL OBJECTS AND STATES 1. INORGANIC Matter and energy of cosmos 2. BIOLOGY Structure and actions of all living beings -human brains 3. ARTEFACTS Material substrates of human creativity of tools of machines of books of works of art of music igure 1 World of coworld of cocomponents. P F THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PHYSICS OF THE FREE WILL PROBLEM 3 World 3 (the man-made world of culture) is encoded on various objects of World 1 -- books, pictures, structures, machines -- and can be perceived only when projected to the brain by the appropriate receptor organs and afferent pathways. Recipro- cally the World 2 of conscious experience can bring about changes in World 1, in the first place in the brain, then in muscular contractions, by World 2 acting on World 1. This is the postulated operation of free will that is the subject of this lecture. We may diagram the postulated inter- actions of this trialist interactionist hypothesis as: World 1 t World 2 and World 3 t World 1 t World 2, where World 2 + World 1 contains the free will problem. Fig. 2 defines the free will problem more succinctly in terms of the three major components that are generally recognized for World 2 (cf. Folten, 1973). There is firstly the outer sense which relates specifically to the perceptions given immediately by the inputs of the sense or gans, visual, auditory, tactile, smell, taste, pain, etc. Secondly, there is inner sense which comprises a wide variety of cognitive experiences: thoughts, memories, intentions, imaginings, emo- tions, feelings, dreams. Thirdly, and at the core of World 2, there is the self or pure ego that is the basis of the personal continuity that each of us "experiences throughout our life time, spanning for example the diurnal gaps of con- sciousness in sleep. Each day consciousness
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