Decisions, uncertainty, and the brain

the science of neuroeconomics

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Last edited by MARC Bot
August 21, 2024 | History

Decisions, uncertainty, and the brain

the science of neuroeconomics

  • 2 Want to read

In this work, Paul Glimcher argues that economic theory may provide an alternative to the classical Cartesian model of the brain and behavior. Ren Descartes (1596-1650) believed that all behaviors could be divided into two categories, the simple and the complex. Simple behaviors were those in which a given sensory event gave rise deterministically to an appropriate motor response. Complex behaviors were those in which the relationship between stimulus and response was unpredictable. These behaviors were the product of a process that Descartes called the soul, but that a modern scientist might call cognition or volition. Glimcher argues that Cartesian dualism operates from the false premise that the reflex is able to describe behavior in the real world that animals inhabit. A mathematically rich cognitive theory, he claims, could solve the most difficult problems that any environment could present, eliminating the need for dualism by eliminating the need for a reflex theory. Such a mathematically rigorous description of the neural processes that connect sensation and action, he explains, will have its roots in microeconomic theory. Economic theory allows physiologists to define both the optimal course of action that an animal might select and a mathematical route by which that optimal solution can be derived. Glimcher outlines what an economics-based cognitive model might look like and how one would begin to test it empirically. Along the way, he presents a fascinating history of neuroscience. He also discusses related questions about determinism, free will, and the stochastic nature of complex behavior.

Publish Date
Publisher
MIT Press
Language
English
Pages
375

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain
Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics
2004, MIT Press
in English
Cover of: Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain
Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics (Bradford Books)
October 1, 2004, The MIT Press
Paperback in English
Cover of: Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain
Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics
2004, MIT Press
in English
Cover of: Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain
Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics (Bradford Books)
March 1, 2003, The MIT Press
Hardcover in English
Cover of: Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain
Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics
2003, MIT Press
in English
Cover of: Decisions, uncertainty, and the brain
Decisions, uncertainty, and the brain: the science of neuroeconomics
2002, MIT Press
in English

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Published in
Cambridge, MA

Classifications

Library of Congress
QP, QP360.5 .G565 2003, QP360.5 .G565 2003eb, QP360.5.G565 2003

The Physical Object

Pagination
xx, 375 p. :
Number of pages
375

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL22518775M
Internet Archive
decisionsuncerta00glim
ISBN 10
0262072440
LCCN
2002026328
OCLC/WorldCat
52235351, 50072554
Library Thing
550258
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1604/9780262072441

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL9217408W

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Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
August 21, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
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January 7, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
November 15, 2008 Created by ImportBot Imported from University of Toronto MARC record