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    Andrei Calin
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    We are now used to the idea that brain damage can trigger some troubles in other body parts, and yet this is not such an obvious idea.

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    We are now used to the idea that brain damage can trigger some troubles in other body parts, and yet this is not such an obvious idea.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    18 views2 pages

    History of Neurosciences

    Uploaded by

    Andrei Calin
    We are now used to the idea that brain damage can trigger some troubles in other body parts, and yet this is not such an obvious idea.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 2

    Historyofneurosciences

    WhatisNeuroscience?

    Neurosciencesemergedasanoffshootofbiologyandmedicalsciences,philosophicallyinspiredbyscientism
    inthe19
    t h
    century,postulatingtheabsenceofanyendogenous(proceedingfromwithin)causeforhuman
    behavior.Withtheevolutionofscientificknowledgeandmethods,chemistry,psychology,computerscience
    andphysicsalllargelycontributedtoanyprogresswithinthefield.
    Likewise,amodernbranchofphilosophyhadagreatimpactonthewaytolookatNeurosciences,most
    notablythroughwhatiscalledcognitivescience(CognitiveNeuroscience).

    OneofthemostfamousexamplesoftheconfrontationbetweenPhilosophyandNeuroscienceisthequest
    forthelocationofthesoulwithinthe
    brain
    inthe17
    th
    century,
    philosopherRenDescartes
    used
    neuroscientificargumentstoclaimthatthepinealglandwastheseatofthesoul(whilealsoclaimingit
    existedasadistinctentity):wherevariousbrainelementshaveakindofsymmetryineachhemisphere,the
    pinealglanddoesnt.
    Todaysciencehasoutgrownthespecificsofthisparticularquestion,butthephilosophicalapproachof
    scientismstillplaysanimportantpartineveryparadigmsetupinthefieldofneurosciences.

    Aristotletellsusthattheheartrulesourbody,notthebrain

    Formillennia,commonbeliefwasthattheseatofyourmindwasintheheartofthehumanbody:inyour
    heart.
    Aristotle
    arguedthisbeliefagainstHippocrates,forinstance,whobelievedthatthoughts,feelingsand
    emotionscamefrom
    thebrain
    .

    TodayweknowthatAristotlesvisioniswrong,butformanyyearsitwasdominantandwidespread
    (probablyduetothetachycardiatriggeredbyintenseemotions,incontrastwiththeabsoluteabsenceof
    sensitivityfromthebrain)andcanstillbefoundinsomecommonidioms:
    Youarebreakingmyheart,
    Youhaveaheartofstone,
    Toknowsomethingbyheart

    Theseatoftheleadingsoulisthebrain
    FollowingGaliensexperiments,itbecameimpossibletodoubtthattheseatoftheleadingsoulwas
    the
    brain
    .Thecenturiesthatfolloweddidnotseesignificantadvances,inspiteofawealthofdebatesstrivingto
    explainthespecificsofthehumanmindanddespitetherebirthofanatomicalstudiesintheearly16
    th
    century.
    Descartesthoughtthatthesoulcouldonlybelinkedtoathinkingsubstance(
    rescogitans
    )radicallydifferent
    fromanymatterqualifiedasextendedsubstance(
    resextensa
    ).

    Conversely,
    JuliendelaMettrie
    deniedthenecessityofrelyingonabridgebetweenmindandmatter(the
    pinealglandaccordingtoDescartes):heclaimedthatthebodyshouldbeconsideredasamachineinwhich
    thebrainistheorganwherewhatiscalledthesoulcanmanifest

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