Table Of Content~ SpringerWienNewYork
Friedrich G. Barth
Patrizia Giampieri-Deutsch
Hans-Dieter Klein (eds.)
Sensory Perception
Mind and Matter
Friedrich G. Barth
Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna,
Vienna, Austria
Patrizia Giampieri-Deutsch
Institute of Philosophy, University of Vienna, Austria
Hans-Dieter Klein
Institute of Philosophy, University of Vienna, Austria
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Prologue
This book is about sensory perception in the brains themselves. Without them there
a very broad sense. It aims towards the would neither be neurophilosophy nor mo
strengthening of existing bridges and the lecular neurobiology, which has included the
building of new ones between a wide range so-called lower animals like flies and bees
of disciplines traditionally separate from and snails into its research most successfully.
each other and considered to be hunting in Such animals may vastly differ from us
their own different woods. The gaps be humans. At the same time they share with
tween the search for the molecular mech us a surprising number of the basic proper
anisms at work in sensory cells or the brain ties of living organisms. These include brain
of a fruit fly and the examination of cognitive functions like learning and memory and even
functions and capabilities in man are indeed quite advanced cognitive abilities which only
obvious, as are the differences between the a few years ago no one could have expected
psychophysics of color vision and neuro to find in bees, birds, or dogs.
philosophy. We are confronted with differ Our book is meant to provide at least a
ences in regard to both the level of com glimpse at some of the many exciting mod
plexity of the systems examined and the ern developments in the study of sensory
procedures applied to analyse them. perception, both technical and conceptual.
However, despite of all these differences At the same time we are aware of the fact
there are commonalities as well. The most that in terms of evolution the story we would
eminent ones are the sensory systems and like to illuminate from various points of view
VI Prologue
is a very old one. AI/living organisms rely on from an understanding of the insights
information on their outside and inside of modern neurobiology into the mechan
worlds. Without such information proper isms of sensory processing in animals and
behavior ensuring survival and procreation humans. Likewise neurobiology can and in
is impossible. It should therefore not come deed should profit from a central task of
as a surprise to find sensory mechanisms of philosophy, which is to keep or make
remarkable refinement even in bacteria and terminology and concepts clear, thereby in
single celled protozoans. creasing their unifying power. Also, in the
In higher animals evolutionary selective age of biology and in view of the over
pressures have led to a fascinating diversity whelming importance often attributed to it,
of sensory and nervous systems. Eyes, ears it may be wise trying to see biology in a still
and noses as well as many types of sense larger context. This seems to be particularly
organs providing information alien to our relevant for functional brain research which
human experience represent the windows despite its fascinating advances clearly
of the brain to the outside world. They are demonstrates the present limits of biologic
the interfaces between an organism's en al reasoning.
vironment and its behavior. As a rule all these Unfortunately, perception and conscious
windows are highly specialized filters. They ness have often been conflated in philosophy
provide the individual organism with the in (as in every day language). Both neuropsych
formation on a small fraction of the physical ological studies of brain-damaged patients
world only. This small fraction, however, is the and subliminality studies have now led to a
biologically relevant one, both in space and revision of the common assumption that
time. perception and consciousness of perception
We humans are no exception to these are always inseparable. Studies of sublim
general rules. To explain and understand inality have in addition demonstrated that
the mechanisms of information processing controlled investigations into unconscious
and the generation of meaning by our brain conflicts, unconscious affect, and uncon
has been given attention for more than scious anxiety are possible.
2000 years. A particular incentive for this Sensory perception is functionally related
long-lasting search may have been the fact to an organism's reactions. The range of is
that we do have subjective conscious sues addressed by the present book there
experiences associated with brain activity fore includes free will, which, defined as lib
and that we are able to describe them ertarian free will, implies free actions,
verbally. Unfortunately one has to admit, unconstrained and uncaused by any physical
that despite all the brilliant advances of the process, and has been a topic of hot debates
modern molecular and cellular neuro recently. Libertarian free will is incompatible
sciences higher functions emerging from with the concept of the physical world as a
the complex activity of systems of many closed causal system. The more sophistic
neurons cannot be explained yet at the ated approach of the compatibilists rejects
level of brain function. libertarian free will and is supported by a
Sensory perception, the topic of the long philosophical tradition inaugurated by
present book, provides access to both the Aristotle more than 2000 years ago.
sciences of the brain and the sciences of There is currently no consent regarding
the mind. We are convinced that classical the answer to the question whether the sci
questions of philosophy and psychology re ences involved in the study of sensory per
ferring to perception and mind will benefit ception are autonomous enterprises which
Prologue VII
can interface with each other and exchange food for thought and reflection which hope
their results, or whether the findings of, say, fully will contribute to promote such a dis
psychology, should be reducible and indeed course and also point to the big gaps still to
reduced to findings elaborated by the neuro be bridged. Some of the contributions may
sciences. The current philosophy of mind also help to overcome the deep rooted bias
again raises the traditional metaphysical of humans to overemphasize the uniqueness
questions but certainly requires empirical of their brains and increase the awareness of
answers that only the experimental sciences the impossibility to decouple the "mind"
can provide. from evolutionary biology and the question
Our book strives to bring together the of biological fitness.
neurosciences with psychology, which speaks We are very grateful to the University
the language of cognitive experiences and of Vienna (in particular the faculty of Life
with philosophy, which has been thinking Sciences) and the Austrian Academy of Sci
and arguing about the meaning and origin of ences which were the main sponsors of a
consciousness since its beginning. The de very successful and stimulating international
bate about the possibility to explain mental symposium held in Vienna in 2008 on the
phenomena neurobiologically will still have same topic. This symposium initiated the
to continue for a while. The editors of this idea of publishing the present book. We
book are convinced, however, that in any also thank Springer Verlag Wien New York
case we need a patient interdisciplinary dis for the help and guidance received during
course between neurobiology, psychology the preparation of this book.
and philosophy if we aim at an in depth
understanding of the many fascinating facets Wien and Lofer, January 2011
of sensory perception and their relation to Friedrich G. Barth
brain functions and cognition. Leading ex Patrizio Giampieri-Deutsch
perts have written chapters for our book as Hans-Dieter Klein
Contents
Prologue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V
I Basic mechanisms in sensory systems
Introductory remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1. Stephan Frings
Sensory cells and sensory organs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Geoffrey A. Manley
Vertebrate hearing: origin, evolution and functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3. Kristine Krug
Principles of function in the visual system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4. Wolf Singer
What binds it all together? Synchronized oscillatory activity in normal and patho-
logical cognition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
II Evolutionary epistemology
Introductory remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5. Gerhard Vollmer
Between biology and philosophy: our knowledge of the real world . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
6. Friedrich G. Barth
Sensory perception: adaptation to lifestyle and habitat ..................... 89
7. Martin Giurfa
Visual learning in social insects: from simple associations to higher-order
problem solving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
8. Ludwig Huber and Anna Wilkinson
Evolution of cognition: a comparative approach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 135
x
Contents
III Perception, art, and illusion
Introductory remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
9. Christoph v. Campenhausen and Jurgen Schramme
Understanding color vision, with comments on mind and matter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
10. Richard L. Gregoryt
Pictures as strange objects of perception ................................. 175
11. Rene Weissensteiner, Thomas Steinkellner, Andreas Jurik, Simon Bulling,
Walter Sandtner, Oliver Kudlacek, Michael Freissmuth, Gerhard F. Ecker and
Harald H. Sitte
Towards an understanding of the psychostimulant action of amphetamine and
cocaine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 183
12. Daniel Bowling and Dale Purves
A biological basis for musical tonality .................................... 205
13. Johannes Deutsch
Synaesthesia and synergy in art. Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No.2 in C minor"
as an example of interactive music visualization ........................... 215
IV Perception and memory: conscious and unconscious processes
Introductory remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 239
14. Patrizia Giampieri-Deutsch
Perception, conscious and unconscious processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 245
15. Howard Shevrin
Consciousness, states of consciousness, unconscious psychological processes,
and psychological states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 265
16. Matthew Hugh Erdelyi
Explicit and implicit memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
V The history of sensory worlds
Introductory remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 295
17. John Gaget
Colour ordered and disordered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 299
18. Robert Jutte
The sense of smell in historical perspective ............................... 313
Contents XI
VI Neurophilosophy and free will
Introductory remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 335
19. Gerhard Roth
Neurophilosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 339
20. Ernst Steinkellner
Sensory perception, body and mind in Indian Buddhist philosophy. . . . . . . . . . .. 357
21. Sybille Kramer
The 'eye of the mind' and the 'eye of the body': Descartes and Leibniz on truth,
mathematics, and visuality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 369
22. Hans-Dieter Klein
Free will. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 383
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
List of contributors ....................................................... 399
The editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 403
