Foreword by Hermann Haken
The human brain is the most complex system we know of. The study of
behavior may serve as a window into understanding basic brain
activities. While in contemporary neurophysiology and molecular
biology, brain activity is traced back to the actions of its individual
neurons and even to its molecules such as neurotransmitters, Scott
Kelso's book promotes quite a different perspective, namely the study
of the outcome of the cooperative behavior of many neurons and many
other cells. This book fascinates me. I am delighted to see how
beautifully it presents the results of a combination of experiments,
ingeniously devised and performed by Scott Kelso, and the application
of concepts of synergetics, an interdisciplinary field of research that
I founded and developed.
Every page of the book provides us with delightful reading and opens
new perspectives again and again. It also clearly elucidates historical
developments. I mention as examples the presentation of early work by
A. S. F. Leyton and C. S. Sherrington on the great variability of brain
activities, or of the prophetic words by Aharon Katchalsky and
co-authors on brain activity in terms of waves, oscillation, and sudden
transitions.
I am sure that this book will not only find a broad and highly
interested readership, but will also become a landmark in the field of
behavioral sciences and brain research, possibly comparable to
Schrodinger's famous book What is Life?
Hermann Haken
The
Complementary Nature
A new book by J.A.S. Kelso and David A. Engstrom