The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness

The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness PDF Author: David Gelernter
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1631490842
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
A “rock star” (New York Times) of the computing world provides a radical new work on the meaning of human consciousness. The holy grail of psychologists and scientists for nearly a century has been to understand and replicate both human thought and the human mind. In fact, it's what attracted the now-legendary computer scientist and AI authority David Gelernter to the discipline in the first place. As a student and young researcher in the 1980s, Gelernter hoped to build a program with a dial marked "focus." At maximum "focus," the program would "think" rationally, formally, reasonably. As the dial was turned down and "focus" diminished, its "mind" would start to wander, and as you dialed even lower, this artificial mind would start to free-associate, eventually ignoring the user completely as it cruised off into the mental adventures we know as sleep. While the program was a only a partial success, it laid the foundation for The Tides of Mind, a groundbreaking new exploration of the human psyche that shows us how the very purpose of the mind changes throughout the day. Indeed, as Gelernter explains, when we are at our most alert, when reasoning and creating new memories is our main mental business, the mind is a computer-like machine that keeps emotion on a short leash and attention on our surroundings. As we gradually tire, however, and descend the "mental spectrum," reasoning comes unglued. Memory ranges more freely, the mind wanders, and daydreams grow more insistent. Self-awareness fades, reflection blinks out, and at last we are completely immersed in our own minds. With far-reaching implications, Gelernter’s landmark "Spectrum of Consciousness" finally helps decode some of the most mysterious wonders of the human mind, such as the numinous light of early childhood, why dreams are so often predictive, and why sadism and masochism underpin some of our greatest artistic achievements. It’s a theory that also challenges the very notion of the mind as a machine—and not through empirical studies or "hard science" but by listening to our great poets and novelists, who have proven themselves as humanity's most trusted guides to the subjective mind and inner self. In the great introspective tradition of Wilhelm Wundt and René Descartes, David Gelernter promises to not only revolutionize our understanding of what it means to be human but also to help answer many of our most fundamental questions about the origins of creativity, thought, and consciousness.

The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness

The Tides of Mind: Uncovering the Spectrum of Consciousness PDF Author: David Gelernter
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1631490842
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
A “rock star” (New York Times) of the computing world provides a radical new work on the meaning of human consciousness. The holy grail of psychologists and scientists for nearly a century has been to understand and replicate both human thought and the human mind. In fact, it's what attracted the now-legendary computer scientist and AI authority David Gelernter to the discipline in the first place. As a student and young researcher in the 1980s, Gelernter hoped to build a program with a dial marked "focus." At maximum "focus," the program would "think" rationally, formally, reasonably. As the dial was turned down and "focus" diminished, its "mind" would start to wander, and as you dialed even lower, this artificial mind would start to free-associate, eventually ignoring the user completely as it cruised off into the mental adventures we know as sleep. While the program was a only a partial success, it laid the foundation for The Tides of Mind, a groundbreaking new exploration of the human psyche that shows us how the very purpose of the mind changes throughout the day. Indeed, as Gelernter explains, when we are at our most alert, when reasoning and creating new memories is our main mental business, the mind is a computer-like machine that keeps emotion on a short leash and attention on our surroundings. As we gradually tire, however, and descend the "mental spectrum," reasoning comes unglued. Memory ranges more freely, the mind wanders, and daydreams grow more insistent. Self-awareness fades, reflection blinks out, and at last we are completely immersed in our own minds. With far-reaching implications, Gelernter’s landmark "Spectrum of Consciousness" finally helps decode some of the most mysterious wonders of the human mind, such as the numinous light of early childhood, why dreams are so often predictive, and why sadism and masochism underpin some of our greatest artistic achievements. It’s a theory that also challenges the very notion of the mind as a machine—and not through empirical studies or "hard science" but by listening to our great poets and novelists, who have proven themselves as humanity's most trusted guides to the subjective mind and inner self. In the great introspective tradition of Wilhelm Wundt and René Descartes, David Gelernter promises to not only revolutionize our understanding of what it means to be human but also to help answer many of our most fundamental questions about the origins of creativity, thought, and consciousness.

Tides

Tides PDF Author: Jonathan White
Publisher: Trinity University Press
ISBN: 1595348069
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
In Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, writer, sailor, and surfer Jonathan White takes readers across the globe to discover the science and spirit of ocean tides. In the Arctic, White shimmies under the ice with an Inuit elder to hunt for mussels in the dark cavities left behind at low tide; in China, he races the Silver Dragon, a twenty-five-foot tidal bore that crashes eighty miles up the Qiantang River; in France, he interviews the monks that live in the tide-wrapped monastery of Mont Saint-Michel; in Chile and Scotland, he investigates the growth of tidal power generation; and in Panama and Venice, he delves into how the threat of sea level rise is changing human culture—the very old and very new. Tides combines lyrical prose, colorful adventure travel, and provocative scientific inquiry into the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion. Photographs, scientific figures, line drawings, and sixteen color photos dramatically illustrate this engaging, expert tour of the tides.

Midnight Tides

Midnight Tides PDF Author: Steven Erikson
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 1429926937
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 966

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Book Description
After decades of internecine warfare, the tribes of the Tiste Edur have at last united under the Warlock King of the Hiroth. There is peace--but it has been exacted at a terrible price: a pact made with a hidden power whose motives are at best suspect, at worst, deadly. To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether, eager to fulfill its long-prophesized renaissance as an Empire reborn, has enslved all its less-civilized neighbors with rapacious hunger. All, that is, save one--the Tiste Edur. And it must be only a matter of time before they too fall--either beneath the suffocating weight of gold, or by slaughter at the edge of a sword. Or so destiny has decreed. Yet as the two sides gather for a pivotal treaty neither truly wants, ancient forces are awakening. For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of a far more profound, primal battle--a confrontation with the still-raw wound of an old betrayal and the craving for revenge at its seething heart. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Think! Different

Think! Different PDF Author: Andreas Boskugel
Publisher: First Edition Design Pub.
ISBN: 1622878884
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
Think! Different is a different kind of self-help book: the author, Andreas Boskugel, is well-known in Europe and appreciated for his clear and direct manner. Boskugel has taken the law of attraction to its systematic and logical conclusion! This book is completely free of otherwise typical references to moral or religious "standards" because the law of attraction – like all natural laws – isn't based on morality or religion. Consequently the author has a very different take than do others on success; for example, he doesn't idolize hard work, honesty and gratitude ad absurdum, for these are only religious and cultural based opinions and actually contradict the law of attraction. The author also forgoes otherwise typical teachings about what is right or wrong; after all, what is "right" is individually defined. Feigned pity or morality sermons are also not included in this work. This work is for those who love the integrity of the law of attraction and prefer clarity over political correctness. And it's for those who really want to get somewhere in life and who therefore question existing opinions. It's for people who are able to think on their own instead of going with the flow. For many, it was not until reading this book that they finally understood the law of attraction, for the topics in this book are more logically organized than in other popular works, and insights are offered that can dramatically improve the lives of readers. Completely new insights about the existing laws of life can help readers become invincible masters of their own destiny. Keywords: Law of Attraction, Self-Help, Success, Wealth, Dream, Wish Fulfillment, Love, Relationship, Money

Changing with the Tides

Changing with the Tides PDF Author: Shelby Leigh
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 166801016X
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
TikTok poet Shelby Leigh presents a moving and inspirational collection of poetry about growing up and embracing all the beauty life has to offer. The perfect gift for fans of Rupi Kaur, Connor Franta, and Cleo Wade. Shelby Leigh breaks up her poignant and reflective poetry collection into two themes: the anchor and the sail. While the anchor explores issues of insecurity, heartbreak, and anxiety, the sail focuses on healing and hope after the storm. With an emphasis on self-empowerment, changing with the tides is an evocative and celebratory set of poems for anyone who dreams of following their heart and embracing their true self.

The Highest Tide

The Highest Tide PDF Author: Jim Lynch
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1582346291
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
While the sea continues to offer him discoveries from its mysterious depths, such as a giant squid, a teenaged boy struggles to deal with the difficulties that come with the equally mysterious process of growing up.

Mindful Thoughts for Surfers

Mindful Thoughts for Surfers PDF Author: Sam Bleakley
Publisher: Leaping Hare Press
ISBN: 1782408959
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 163

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Book Description
Mindful Thoughts for Surfers explores how meditative a life on the surfboard can be. These 25 insightful musings will inspire beginners and experts alike. The immediacy of the surfer's surroundings and the interaction with the vast ocean and all of its wonderful wildlife creates the perfect opportunity to practise mindfulness. Sam Bleakley is an international longboard surfing champion and advocate for all forms of waveriding. With an interest in Buddhism and Taoism, he discusses such subjects as: Decluttering thoughts and identification Embracing imperfection The metaphors and parallels of the water with our lives The spiritual connection to nature Recovering from injury Heightened senses and the connection between body and mind Blue mindfulness, flow and resilience Through these subjects he explores how riding the waves is the ultimate meditation and offers an astute awareness of what the oceans tell us about our place in the natural world—if we would just listen. His illuminating meditations, each beautifully illustrated, make this book perfect for dipping into and offer a gentle gateway into life-affirming awareness for everyone. If you like this you might also be interested in Mindfulness and Surfing . . .

PLOUGH YOUR MIND

PLOUGH YOUR MIND PDF Author: Dr Anuruti Rai
Publisher: Dr Anuruti Rai
ISBN: 9356072299
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
We have known about the powers of the human mind forever, but what makes it impossible to make full use of them? The hardest battle to win in the journey of self-transformation is against your pre-programmed mind. Plough your mind takes you through a journey of self-exploration paralleling a simple example of ploughing the field which is bound to etch your mind to break your old, distracting self-image and start afresh to understand your being and mind. In these pages, you will learn about the limitless tiny world encased in your head, limited in the real world, by three balancing factors from nature: TIME, ENERGY, and CONSCIOUSNESS. It is by creating a delicate balance among these three that you can revolutionize the functioning of your mind machinery by challenging the only person holding you back: YOU. Dr. Anuruti Rai is a medical Professor who has contributed extensively to the world of literature with publications appearing in many International Medical Journals. She is the founder of Dentamed, a leading behavior research, education, mental health, human behaviour and life improvement. She has more than twelve years of behaviour insights experience working with Medical institutions to guide and help doctors and students deal with the brunt of the profession using ploughing techniques and has received immense recognition and honours for the same.

The Prince of Tides

The Prince of Tides PDF Author: Pat Conroy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780395353004
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 588

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Book Description
In his most brilliant and powerful novel, Pat Conroy tells the story of Tom Wingo, his twin sister, Savannah, and the dark and violent past of the family into which they were born. Set in New York City and the lowcountry of South Carolina, the novel opens when Tom, a high school football coach whose marriage and career are crumbling, flies from South Carolina to New York after learning of his twin sister's suicide attempt. Savannah is one of the most gifted poets of her generation, and both the cadenced beauty of her art and the jumbled cries of her illness are clues to the too-long-hidden story of her wounded family. In the paneled offices and luxurious restaurants of New York City, Tom and Susan Lowenstein, Savannah's psychiatrist, unravel a history of violence, abandonment, commitment, and love. And Tom realizes that trying to save his sister is perhaps his last chance to save himself. With passion and a rare gift of language, the author moves from present to past, tracing the amazing history of the Wingos from World War II through the final days of the war in Vietnam and into the 1980s, drawing a rich range of characters: the lovable, crazy Mr. Fruit, who for decades has wordlessly directed traffic at the same intersection in the southern town of Colleton; Reese Newbury, the ruthless, patrician land speculator who threatens the Wingos' only secure worldly possession, Melrose Island; Herbert Woodruff, Susan Lowenstein's husband, a world-famous violinist; Tolitha Wingo, Savannah's mentor and eccentric grandmother, the first real feminist in the Wingo family. Pat Conroy reveals the lives of his characters with surpassing depth and power, capturing the vanishing beauty of the South Carolina lowcountry and a lost way of life. His lyric gifts, abundant good humor, and compelling storytelling are well known to readers of The Great Santini and The Lords of Discipline. The Prince of Tides continues that tradition yet displays a new, mature voice of Pat Conroy, signaling this work as his greatest accomplishment.

Tides and Transitions

Tides and Transitions PDF Author: Dan Stultz
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1456701711
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
The book is a diary of a physician/father over 25 years of family life and his practice of medicine. The author kept a journal and although this journal reflects his mood and attitude at the time, it is a description about experiences, occurrences and important decisions. These transitions and tides are chronicled whether it be family life, building a practice, or operating a health system. The result is a journal that describes seemingly minor events that directed the author and his family in certain directions and as a result, this story. "Tides and Transitions" describes those people, events, and the stories that helped develop, mature, and challenge the family and medical practice. It is bits and pieces of the life of a young then middle aged physician and father.