Valentin Braitenberg – författare

Ich glaube, daß das interessanteste Forschungsobjekt dieser Welt, abgesehen von der Welt selbst, das menschliche Gehirn ist. So wie eines Tages die Einsicht in das Wesen der Materie gewaltige Verände­ rungen in unserem Denken zur Folge haben wird, ähnlich erschütternd wird, glaube ich, das volle Verständnis der Weise sein, wie das Ge­ hirn als ein Teil der Natur uns auch die Kenntnis der Natur vermittelt. Ich kann mir auch denken, daß die Erklärung der Materie erst auf die Erklärung des Gehirns zu warten hat, um mit ihr zusammen das ge­ schlossene Bild der Welt zu ergeben, das die Philosophen suchen. Der Zweck dieses Buches ist, gemessen an den weitschweifenden Gedanken, bescheiden. Es besteht aus lose zusammenhängenden Kapiteln, alle offen, keines endgültig, insgesamt weit entfernt von dem Anspruch, ein Lehrbuch der Gehirnwissenschaften abzugeben. Es sollte verstanden werden als eine kurze Einladung in die Welt unserer Laboratorien, mit einer Schau unserer hübschesten For­ schungsobjekte und mit Diskussionen, die nicht unbedingt über­ zeugen, sondern eher eine Atmosphäre vermitteln wollen.

I believe that the most intriguing thing in the world, be­ sides the world itself, is the human brain. Moreover, I am sure that a coherent natural philosophy will only be possible once we have understood how the brain, itself an object of physics, generates the description of the physical word. Therefore a book on the brain, be it the fly's or the mouse's brain, needs no justification. It is important, however, to point out the limits of its ambi­ tions. The first three Chapters are introductory and are written in a lighthearted philosophical vein. An idea is introduced that turns up repeatedly in the rest of the book, namely, that the structure of brains is information about the world. Chapter 4 is didactic: in it the neuron and its function are sketched as the element of the nerv­ ous tissue. Chapters 5 to 8 are a collection of essays loosely tied together mainly by the vagaries of my own interests. They do not intend to be definitive statements about the cerebellum, the cerebral cortex, or the visual ganglia of insects but rather illuminate these structures from a personal point of view. Accordingly, many au­ thors will find their own contributions only insufficiently represented in the text and frequently without explicit quotation. I beg their pardon and remind the reader that enough competent reviews are available in the fields that I touch upon, easily accessible through the references.

I believe that the most intriguing thing in the world, be­ sides the world itself, is the human brain. Moreover, I am sure that a coherent natural philosophy will only be possible once we have understood how the brain, itself an object of physics, generates the description of the physical word. Therefore a book on the brain, be it the fly''s or the mouse''s brain, needs no justification. It is important, however, to point out the limits of its ambi­ tions. The first three Chapters are introductory and are written in a lighthearted philosophical vein. An idea is introduced that turns up repeatedly in the rest of the book, namely, that the structure of brains is information about the world. Chapter 4 is didactic: in it the neuron and its function are sketched as the element of the nerv­ ous tissue. Chapters 5 to 8 are a collection of essays loosely tied together mainly by the vagaries of my own interests. They do not intend to be definitive statements about the cerebellum, the cerebral cortex, or the visual ganglia of insects but rather illuminate these structures from a personal point of view. Accordingly, many au­ thors will find their own contributions only insufficiently represented in the text and frequently without explicit quotation. I beg their pardon and remind the reader that enough competent reviews are available in the fields that I touch upon, easily accessible through the references.