La nuova edizione dell'opera che ha dato un impulso decisivo a un cambio di paradigma nello studio e nella pratica delle scienze cognitive è arricchita da contributi che offrono un'essenziale messa in prospettiva dell'impatto nel tempo dei concetti che tra i primi Varela e i suoi co-autori hanno adottato. Grazie alla loro ricerca le scienze cognitive hanno potuto includere una prospettiva nuova, che ha unito l'orientamento fenomenologico alla pratica buddhista e al metodo scientifico. Fra queste pagine si è parlato per la prima volta di 'enazione', la generazione di un mondo e di una mente sulla base della storia delle azioni radicate nel corpo (embodied) che ciascun organismo vivente compie, e sulla relazione che intrattiene con gli altri organismi. La conoscenza non sarebbe la rappresentazione di un mondo prestabilito da parte di una mente prestabilita, ma una continua attribuzione di significato che gli esseri viventi generano nel mondo che abitano. Una delle tesi centrali proposte chiama in causa la necessità, da parte degli studiosi, di abbracciare il vissuto del soggetto e la sua esperienza, integrando le manifestazioni del vivente e alcuni concetti fondamentali della psicologia buddhista, come quello dell'assenza di fondamento. La cognizione come 'enazione' di un mondo implica infatti che essa non abbia un fondamento, una base al di fuori della propria storia, e da qui scaturisce la domanda che permea questa ricerca: la discrepanza fra conoscenza scientifica ed esperienza vissuta è inevitabile e insormontabile, oppure le scienze cognitive e l'esperienza umana sono co

Siamo abituati a pensare che lo sguardo che la scienza getta sulla realtà provenga da una sorta di occhio di Dio. A partire dall'Illuminismo, l'umanità ha chiesto alla scienza di dirci chi siamo, da dove veniamo e dove stiamo andando, inducendoci a pensare perfino all'universo prescindendo dalla nostra posizione all'interno di esso. Ma trascurare il ruolo che l'esperienza umana ricopre nella conoscenza comporta gravi pericoli. In questo libro, sulla base di una rigorosa strumentazione storica, filosofica e scientifica, un astrofisico, un fisico teorico e un filosofo dimostrano tutta l'urgenza di una rivoluzione teoretica, in virtù della quale la scienza includa, invece di ignorarla o tentare di rimuoverla, l'esperienza vissuta dell'uomo come parte imprescindibile dei nostri tentativi di pervenire a una verità oggettiva. Secondo gli autori, la scienza, lungi dall'essere volta alla ricerca di una verità assoluta, non è altro che una forma raffinata e in costante evoluzione dell'esperienza umana. Da qui il monito rivolto agli scienziati a ripensare il modo in cui essa opera in una partita dove è in gioco il futuro del genere umano a fronte della crisi climatica dell'intero pianeta e dell'onda montante delle forme più triviali di negazionismo scientifico.

Grande tradizione religiosa e intellettuale dell'umanità, nel corso della sua storia il buddhismo ha fornito un contributo fondamentale all'idea di società cosmopolita, arricchendo la sfera religiosa, intellettuale e artistica delle società pluralistiche in cui è stato accolto. Certamente questa spinta è ancora oggi attiva, grazie ai praticanti e ai maestri arrivati dall'Asia e alle persone che si sono convertite al buddhismo in Europa e in America, dando vita a nuove comunità, nuovi rituali e nuove opere d'arte. Ciò nonostante, il filone prevalente del buddhismo moderno, noto come 'modernismo buddhista', è pieno di idee che gravitano attorno a quello che l'autore definisce 'eccezionalismo buddhista', ovvero la credenza secondo cui il buddhismo sarebbe superiore alle altre religioni per via del suo carattere intrinsecamente razionale ed empirico; o ancora, la convinzione secondo cui il buddhismo non sarebbe tanto una religione quanto una 'scienza della mente', confermata dalle recenti ricerche neuroscientifiche: una sorta di 'buddhismo neurale' in cui l''illuminazione' sarebbe uno stato del cervello, la pratica della mindfulness consisterebbe in un addestramento del cervello, e le scienze cognitive andrebbero a corroborare la visione secondo cui non c'è un sé. L''eccezionalismo buddhista' presenta le teorie buddhiste sulla mente come se fossero descrizioni di valore neutro, quando in realtà si tratta di teorie normative (cioè basate su giudizi di valore etici) e soteriologiche (ovvero riguardanti la salvezza o la liberazione) ma, afferma Thompson, le teorie buddhiste della

'La veglia, il sogno, l'essere' è il culmine di una vita di riflessione su interrogativi esistenziali fondamentali: chi sono io? Che cos'è il sé? Che relazione c'è tra il sé e il fatto di essere coscienti? L'autore, studioso di religioni e filosofie dell'Asia, di filosofia occidentale e di scienze cognitive, durante gli ultimi venticinque anni ha condotto ricerche nell'ambito della filosofia della mente e delle scienze cognitive spinto da una domanda fondamentale: 'La coscienza, anche nelle sue forme più sottili, trascende realmente il corpo vivente e il cervello?'. Tentando di fornire una risposta, questo lavoro pone a confronto le analisi delle ultime ricerche neuroscientifiche sul sonno, il sogno, gli stati meditativi, le esperienze extracorporee e le esperienze di premorte con illuminanti interpretazioni dei concetti dottrinali e filosofici asiatici classici. Thompson mostra in che senso il sé non è un'entità statica, ma un processo in continuo mutamento, e ne descrive le trasformazioni facendo dialogare insieme neuroscienze, filosofia e narrazioni personali. In questo percorso le esperienze contemplative gettano luce sulla ricerca scientifica, e le prove scientifiche arricchiscono la vasta conoscenza acquisita dalle tradizioni contemplative. Nelle parole di Stephen Batchelor, che firma la prefazione al volume: 'Thompson incarna un movimento storico e culturale che spazza via la distinzione tra 'Oriente' e 'Occidente', sostituendola, si spera, con una comprensione più globale di ciò che significa essere pienamente umani'.

This classic book, first published in 1991, was one of the first to propose the 'embodied cognition' approach in cognitive science. It pioneered the connections between phenomenology and science and between Buddhist practices and science -- claims that have since become highly influential. Through this cross-fertilization of disparate fields of study, The Embodied Mind introduced a new form of cognitive science called 'enaction,' in which both the environment and first person experience are aspects of embodiment. However, enactive embodiment is not the grasping of an independent, outside world by a brain, a mind, or a self; rather it is the bringing forth of an interdependent world in and through embodied action. Although enacted cognition lacks an absolute foundation, the book shows how that does not lead to either experiential or philosophical nihilism. Above all, the book's arguments were powered by the conviction that the sciences of mind must encompass lived human experience and the possibilities for transformation inherent in human experience.

This revised edition includes substantive introductions by Evan Thompson and Eleanor Rosch that clarify central arguments of the work and discuss and evaluate subsequent research that has expanded on the themes of the book, including the renewed theoretical and practical interest in Buddhism and mindfulness. A preface by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the originator of the mindfulness-based stress reduction program, contextualizes the book and describes its influence on his life and work.

A renowned philosopher of the mind, also known for his groundbreaking work on Buddhism and cognitive science, Evan Thompson combines the latest neuroscience research on sleep, dreaming, and meditation with Indian and Western philosophy of the mind, casting new light on the self and its relation to the brain.

Thompson shows how the self is a changing process, not a static thing. When we are awake we identify with our body, but if we let our mind wander or daydream, we project a mentally imagined self into the remembered past or anticipated future. As we fall asleep, the impression of being a bounded self distinct from the world dissolves, but the self reappears in the dream state. If we have a lucid dream, we no longer identify only with the self within the dream. Our sense of self now includes our dreaming self, the 'I' as dreamer. Finally, as we meditate -- either in the waking state or in a lucid dream -- we can observe whatever images or thoughts arise and how we tend to identify with them as 'me.' We can also experience sheer awareness itself, distinct from the changing contents that make up our image of the self.

Contemplative traditions say that we can learn to let go of the self, so that when we die we can witness the dissolution of the self with equanimity. Thompson weaves together neuroscience, philosophy, and personal narrative to depict these transformations, adding uncommon depth to life's profound questions. Contemplative experience comes to illuminate scientific findings, and scientific evidence enriches the vast knowledge acquired by contemplatives.

In November of 2011, Fantagraphics released the first volume of its much-anticipated, long-promised series reprinting in its entirety the syndicated run of Walt Kelly’s classic newspaper strip, Pogo. Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder immediately became the company’s best-selling book of the last five years. Exactly one year later, the second volume, Pogo: Bona Fide Balderdash, will be released, featuring all the strips from 1951 and 1952. With sources found for the more elusive strips (in the past, our scheduling downfall), we’re confident that these collections will become an annual affair. Even though Pogo had been in syndication for less than two years as this volume begins, Kelly’s long professional experience (including seven years creating Pogo stories for comic books) had him at the peak of his powers, and this book features page after page of gorgeously drawn, hilarious vaudevillian dialogue and action among the swamp denizens, as well as Kelly’s increasingly sharp-tongued political satire — especially on display during the 1952 election season. Kelly was famous for his prolific creation of recurring characters, and by the end of this second volume, the count will already have topped over one hundred. New arrivals include Tammanany the Tiger, the voluble P.T. Bridgeport, the sinister Sarcophagus MacAbre (with his funereal speech balloons), Uncle Antler the bull moose... and Bewitched, Bothered, and Bemildred, the adorable trio of bats. The two years of daily strips in this volume have been collected before but in now long-out-of print books; and even there they were not as meticulously restored and reproduced as in this new series. Bona Fide Balderdash also reprints, literally for the first time ever in full color, the two full years of Sunday pages, also carefully restored and color-corrected, shot from the finest copies available. This second volume is once again edited and designed by the cartoonist’s daughter, Carolyn Kelly, who is also handling much of the restoration work. It includes a new introduction by the legendary author, recording artist, and satirist Stan Freberg, who was not only a friend of Kelly’s but the voice of Albert the Alligator in the I Go Pogo: Pogo for President movie. There will also be more extensive annotations by comic strip historian and expert R.C. Harvey, as well as additional historical information from writer Mark Evanier.

How is life related to the mind? The question has long confounded philosophers and scientists, and it is this so-called explanatory gap between biological life and consciousness that Evan Thompson explores in Mind in Life.

Thompson draws upon sources as diverse as molecular biology, evolutionary theory, artificial life, complex systems theory, neuroscience, psychology, Continental Phenomenology, and analytic philosophy to argue that mind and life are more continuous than has previously been accepted, and that current explanations do not adequately address the myriad facets of the biology and phenomenology of mind. Where there is life, Thompson argues, there is mind: life and mind share common principles of self-organization, and the self-organizing features of mind are an enriched version of the self-organizing features of life. Rather than trying to close the explanatory gap, Thompson marshals philosophical and scientific analyses to bring unprecedented insight to the nature of life and consciousness. This synthesis of phenomenology and biology helps make Mind in Life a vital and long-awaited addition to his landmark volume The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (coauthored with Eleanor Rosch and Francisco Varela).

Endlessly interesting and accessible, Mind in Life is a groundbreaking addition to the fields of the theory of the mind, life science, and phenomenology.

The dogs of Burden Hill, accompanied by a stray cat, investigate paranormal activities in their neighborhood, including black magic cats, demonic frogs, and zombie roadkill.

The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness is the first of its kind in the field, and its appearance marks a unique time in the history of intellectual inquiry on the topic. After decades during which consciousness was considered beyond the scope of legitimate scientific investigation, consciousness re-emerged as a popular focus of research towards the end of the last century, and it has remained so for nearly 20 years. There are now so many different lines of investigation on consciousness that the time has come when the field may finally benefit from a book that pulls them together and, by juxtaposing them, provides a comprehensive survey of this exciting field. An authoritative desk reference, which will also be suitable as an advanced textbook.

The philosophy of perception is a microcosm of the metaphysics of mind. Its central problems--What is perception? What is the nature of perceptual consciousness? How can one fit an account of perceptual experience into a broader account of the nature of the mind and the world?--are at the heart of metaphysics. Rather than try to cover all of the many strands in the philosophy of perception, this book focuses on a particular orthodoxy about the nature of visual perception.The central problem for visual science has been to explain how the brain bridges the gap between what is given to the visual system and what is actually experienced by the perceiver. The orthodox view of perception is that it is a process whereby the brain, or a dedicated subsystem of the brain, builds up representations of relevant figures of the environment on the basis of information encoded by the sensory receptors. Most adherents of the orthodox view also believe that for every conscious perceptual state of the subject, there is a particular set of neurons whose activities are sufficient for the occurrence of that state. Some of the essays in this book defend the orthodoxy; most criticize it; and some propose alternatives to it. Many of the essays are classics. The contributors include, among others, G. E. M. Anscombe, Dana Ballard, Daniel Dennett, Fred Dretske, Jerry Fodor, H. P. Grice, David Marr, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Zenon Pylyshyn, Paul Snowdon, and P. F. Strawson.

The Embodied Mind provides a unique, sophisticated treatment of the spontaneous and reflective dimension of human experience. The authors argue that only by having a sense of common ground between mind in Science and mind in experience can our understanding of cognition be more complete. Toward that end, they develop a dialogue between cognitive science and Buddhist meditative psychology and situate it in relation to other traditions such as phenomenology and psychoanalysis.

Exciting new evidence from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has demonstrated that the body's decline is due not to the passing of years but to the combined effects of inactivity, poor nutrition, and illness -- much of which can be controlled. This breakthrough study shows that regardless of your age or present physical condition, the aging process can be slowed -- or even reversed!

The authors have identified ten 'biomarkers,' the key physiological factors associated with prolonged youth and vitality:

* lean body (muscle) mass

* strength

* basal metabolic rate

* body fat percentage

* aerobic capacity

* blood pressure

* Insulin sensitivity

* cholesterol/HDL ratio

* bone density

* body temperature regulation

With only 50 minutes a day of aerobic exercise and strength training (a pivotal component of the 16-week Bioaction Plan), even middle-aged 'couch potatoes' and older adults can:

* regain muscle loss and increase strength by as much as 200 percent

* reenergize the body and actually lose body fat

* increase aerobic capacity by up to 20 percent

* reduce the chances of developing age-related conditions such as heart disease, Type II diabetes, and osteoporosis

Providing dietary guidelines, self-tests for evaluating your physiological age, and exercise programs for every level of fitness, Biomarkers will change forever the way you think -- and what you do -- about aging.