Evolution, Ecology, Becoming
Plastic Creativity and a World of Our Creation
The mind/brain relationship, with its various iterations and contexts, is fraught with the idea of that precipice between the two, ideas which seek to define the boundary of the mind from the boundary of the brain. The sanctity of these definitional boundaries is brought to question by political scientists and philosophers alike; drawing on theories of neuroscience and evolution in order to re-address them for use in new and creative directions. That is, to reclaim the quality of ideology embedded in many theoretical frameworks and modes of knowledge. Catherine Malabou and Bill Connolly bring this to the fore in their work, engaging with concepts of creativity, plasticity, and the realization that each present moment is right in the midst of its own becoming, in order to show, in the words of Foucault, that we are more recent than we thought (Foucault, p. 173).
While Connolly’s work derives moreso from the sphere of political theory, it overlaps with Malabou’s philosophical work in a multitude of dimensions. Where Malabou’s central concepts are that of plasticity versus flexibility, the fragility in ideas of continuity, and the interdeterminacy and reciprocity of translation and creation, Connolly similarly works in the space of junction and entanglement. Giving an image of a fragile world in which creative possibility is both abundant and dynamic, Connolly calls upon the very heterogeneity that the mind/brain distinction assumes so as to “appreciate the ‘elbow room’” and allow such an appreciation to be cultivated (Connolly, p. 15). In either case, both work towards a renewed emphasis and appreciation of the idea of work being done; work by the brai...
... middle of paper ...
...d self-generation, and in heterogeneity coming into conversation, our ideas about ourselves and our projections into the future are articulated. If the entangled process(es) are appropriately recognized and embraced, new freedoms and transformations are made possible. It does not give due credit to the mind or the brain otherwise. Taking these perspectives of Malabou and Connolly forward serves to enhance the themes of both Darwinian evolution and evolution as becoming, as their histories are implicated in one another and relevant in order to recognize the conditions and possibilities of the present. F
Works Cited
Connolly, W. (2013). Species Evolution and Cultural Freedom. Baltimore.
Foucault, M. (2003). The Essential Foucault. New York: The New Press.
Malabou, C. (1998). What Should We Do wiith Our Brain. New York: Fordham University Press.
In “Can You Build a Better Brain”, the author, Sharon Begley discusses how the cognition processes better. He starts by presenting some experiments that prove nutrition did not support the brain smarter. According to the article, he believes that the “cognitive capacity” can be amended by concentration in people’s behavior. He further believes that people’s intelligence do not depend on own skills; however, as long as people peceive new things, their synapses and brain systems will
Gross, R., 2013. The Science of Mind And Behaviour. 6 ed. London: Hodder Education .
Hicks, Brain. The Holdouts. Smithsonian 41.11 (2011): 50-60. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Nov. 2013
Gazzaniga, M.S., Ivry R.B., & Mangun, G.R. Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind. W. W. Norton & Company (1998).
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living, which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle for existence” (Darwin 62).
Victoroff, Jeffrey Ivan. Saving Your Brain: The Revolutionary Plan to Boost Brain Power, Improve Memory, and Protect Yourself Against Aging and Alzheimer's. New York: Bantam, 2002.
Eliot, Lise. Pink Brain, Blue Brain. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009. Print.
Sperry R. (1993) The Impact and Promise of the Cognitive Revolution. American Psychologist 48 (8) 878-885
Man is the product of heredity and environment and that he acts as his machine responds to outside stimuli and nothing else, seem amply proven by the evolution and history of man. Every process of nature and life is a continuous sequence of cause and effect (156).
In philosophy, the critical analysis on the relationship between the brain and mind is known the mind body problem. The following schools of thought have tried to solve the mind body problem. Dualism, this school of thought subscribes to the belief that the mind and brain exist independently of each other. Other dualists deny the fact that the mind is a part of the brain. This is because the mind and brain don’t share same
Evolutionary theory throws humans into a tizzy. Driven by the need to amass knowledge, we find ourselves surging forward into the exploration of a story where the more we know, the less we can feature ourselves. Eminent evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr contends that anthropocentrism and belief in evolution by natural selection are mutually exclusive (Mayr 1972). In other words, the Darwinian story of biological evolution rejects the notion of progress and replaces it with directionless change, thereby subverting the conception of human superiority on a biological scale toward perfection. Evolution by natural selection undermines the idea that humans are the culmination and ultimate beneficiaries of all nature. However, to say that anthropocentrism necessarily dissolves in the rising tide of evolutionary theory is to ignore the ways in which human centered humanness plays an intriguing role in evolution.
My love for neuroscience began long before my passion for neuroscience research. My favorite aspect of psychology since my initial encounter in Advanced Placement Psychology in high school is the nervous system and brain function in relation to behavior. It is fascinating how something so small serves such an extremely important and vital role in our body and behavior. The intriguing details of the brain fuel my desire to learn more about its functions. After completing the Biological Basis of Behavior and Neural System Courses at the University of Maryland, my knowledge as well as curiosity for the brain heightened.
pp. 164-71. LeDoux, J. E. (2002). "The 'Path How Our Brains Become Who We Are. New York: Viking Books, Inc. M. M. Merzenich, J. K. (1983).
In philosophy, the majority of studies relate to the mind. Whether it is the main subject or just a helpful side topic to move the main subject along, this term is used often. Defining the term mind is difficult, and is a topic that is popularly studied and debated among philosophers. These qualified and knowledgeable people try to determine whether or not the mind is who people are or if they are their body or a combination. Although they have learned many helpful truths and defined other useful terms, the debate is still evident in the philosophical community today. Learning about how the mind relates to the body, and whether the mind and the brain are the same thing are other ways to look at the many options of how to discern
Without evolution, and the constant ever changing environment, the complexity of living organisms would not be as it is. Evolution is defined as a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations (8).Scientists believe in the theory of evolution. This belief is based on scientific evidence that corroborates the theory of evolution. In Figure 1 the pictures of the skulls depict the sequence of the evolution of Homo-sapiens. As the figure shows, man has evolved from our common ancestor that is shared by homo-sapiens. The change of diet of homo-sapiens over time has thought to contribute to the change in jaw structure and overall skull shape.