Neural Darwinism

Neural Darwinism describes the theory that consciousness can be explained by Darwinian selection and evolution of neural states.

The term originated with Gerald Edelman's 1987 book Neural Darwinism. The Theory of Neuronal Group Selection.

It has been suggested that Friedrich Hayek had earlier proposed a similar idea in his book The Sensory Order: An Inquiry into the Foundations of Theoretical Psychology, published in 1952.

Other leading proponents include Daniel Dennett and William H. Calvin.

References:

• Edelman, Gerald Neural Darwinism. The Theory of Neuronal Group Selection (Basic Books, New York 1987). ISBN 0-465-04934-6
• Hayek, F. A. The Sensory Order: An Inquiry into the Foundations of Theoretical Psychology xxii, 210 p. 1952 Paper ISBN 0-226-32094-4

See also:

• Darwinism
• Society of Mind theory
• Meme

External Links

• Citeseer citation index of 'Neural Darwinism' (http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/context/75278/0)
• Citeseer citation index of 'Neural Darwinism', part two (http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/context/283025/0)
• How Brains Think: Evolving Intelligence, Then and Now by William H. Calvin (http://faculty.washington.edu/wcalvin/bk8/)