In From Molecule to Metaphor, Jerome Feldman proposes a theory of language and thought that treats language not as an abstract symbol system but as a human biological ability that can be studied as a function of the brain, as vision and motor control are studied. This theory, he writes, is a "bridging theory" that works from extensive knowledge at two ends of a causal chain to explicate the links between. Although the cognitive sciences are revealing much about how our brains produce language and thought, we do not yet know exactly how words are understood or have any methodology for finding out. Feldman develops his theory in computer simulations--formal models that suggest ways that language and thought may be realized in the brain. Combining key findings and theories from biology, computer science, linguistics, and psychology, Feldman synthesizes a theory by exhibiting programs that demonstrate the required behavior while remaining consistent with the findings from all disciplines. <br /> <br /> After presenting the essential results on language, learning, neural computation, the biology of neurons and neural circuits, and the mind/brain, Feldman introduces specific demonstrations and formal models of such topics as how children learn their first words, words for abstract and metaphorical concepts, understanding stories, and grammar (including "hot-button" issues surrounding the innateness of human grammar). With this accessible, comprehensive book Feldman offers readers who want to understand how our brains create thought and language a theory of language that is intuitively plausible and also consistent with existing scientific data at all levels.

The approach of the new millennium encourages people to stop and think about where we have been and where we are going. In these essays, all but one written for this book, many of those who have helped to shape the fields of neurocognition, cognitive science, and psychology give their thoughts on the past and future of the science of mind. Ernest R. Hilgard's foreword presents "A Personal View of 20th Century Psychology: With an Eye to the 21st Century." Some of the essays offer specific ideas about what the future may hold, while others prefer the grand overview. Some touch on the philosophical, social, and scientific implications of the science of the mind; a few border on whimsy or science fiction. All are written to be understood by the informed layperson, as well as professionals and students.The authors of the essays describe their visions of what might be, not what is determined to be. A major goal of the volume is to encourage scientists and scholars to consider alternative worlds--to help us to avoid many of the problems of the past and to create a healthier and more humane future.A Bradford Book