The Large, the Small and the Human MindRoger Penrose's views on the large-scale physics of the Universe, the small-scale world of quantum physics and the physics of the mind are controversial and widely discussed. This book is a fascinating and accessible summary of Roger Penrose's current thinking on those areas of physics in which he feels there are major unresolved problems. It is also a stimulating introduction to the radically new concepts which he believes will be fruitful in understanding the workings of the brain and the nature of the human mind. |
Contents
Spacetime and Cosmology | vii |
The Mysteries of Quantum Physics | 34 |
Physics and the Mind | 77 |
On Mentality Quantum Mechanics and the Actualization of Potentialities | 128 |
Why Physics? | 145 |
The Objections of an Unashamed Reductionist | 153 |
Roger Penrose Responds | 157 |
Goodsteins Theorem and Mathematical Thinking | 170 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abner Shimony according actually argument believe Big Bang biology black holes bomb brain Chapter classical level coherence complex numbers computation concepts consciousness dead cat decoherence density matrix describe deterministic diagram effects energy entangled entropy equation Euclidean evolution example experiment fact fundamental geometry Gödel going Goodstein's Goodstein's theorem Hameroff human idea illustrated in Figure involved kind known laws light cone Lobachevskian look Malcolm Longair mathematical measurement mental microtubules mind mirror mysteries Nancy Cartwright natural number neurons Newtonian non-computable non-local objective reduction Observer ontology particles photon physical world picture Planck Planck length plane Platonic world polyominoes potentialities precise probability problem procedure quan quantum gravity quantum level quantum mechanics quantum superposition quantum theory Relativity Roger Penrose Schrödinger's cat seems simulate space-time sphere spin Stephen Hawking structure superposition synapse tells theorem things tile time-scale tion Turing understanding vector viewpoint Z-mysteries