Matter Matters?

Distinguished authors from different disciplines analyze the classical mind--matter problem within the frames of recent theoretical and experimental developments in fields such as mathematics, physics, computers and neuroscience. The dramatically increased importance of these areas for the mind--matter issue validates the chosen entry point of the book, the view that matter matters. The authors argue that to shift the focus of interest from the traditional material/immaterial dichotomy to other ways of approaching the issue, notably to what is computational and what is not, will bring the discussion to a more fertile ground than found in traditional treatises. They stress the distinction between conscious and cognitive processes and focuss on the interplay between disciplines, transitions between micro and macro levels, complexity, the role of mathematics, and the meaning of understanding. Radically new tentative solutions are presented, serving as inspiration for new approaches to the study of the mind--matter problem. This book is written for a wide readership with some background in the natural sciences.