Ah! Thanks for the clarification. N
Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, Clark University ([email protected]) http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe] > [Original Message] > From: Jochen Fromm <[email protected]> > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]> > Date: 5/6/2010 5:29:17 PM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] The coat hook of the mind > > I think the source of the quote is Henri > Bergson's book "Matter and Memory": > "That there is a close connexion between > a state of consciousness and the brain we > do not dispute. But there is also a close > connexion between a coat and the nail on > which it hangs, for, if the nail is pulled > out, the coat falls to the ground. Shall > we say, then, that the shape of the nail > gives us the shape of the coat, or in any > way corresponds to it?" (introduction, page xi) > > What Henri Bergson (1859-1941) suggests is > that the brain is like the coat hook of the mind. > The coat itself is completely independent from > the nail or the hook, but the coat on the hook is > not possible without the hook, if we take the hook > away, everything breaks down. This is very similar > to the modern idea of supervenience: although it is > independent from it, the mind rests and depends > on the brain, like the coat on the coat hook or > coat-hanger. > > The mind can also be there, or it can be absent, > like a coat which can be present or absent on > a coat hook. And the mind takes only a form > or shape which the connections in the brain > allow, like the coat which takes only the form > which the nail, coat hook or coat-hanger > allows. The question of Henri Bergson if > the brain determines the shape of the mind > is especially interesting: if we can answer how > it does it exactly, we have crossed the gap > between Psychology and Physiology (or > Neuroscience). > > -J. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nicholas Thompson" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 9:05 AM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] The coat hook of the mind > > > > > > a metaphor is only as good as its heuristic power and i can't see what > > this one implies. > > > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
