Abstract
Everybody knows, of course, what thinking is about. But when we are forced to define it more rigorously, this turns out to be a hard task. First of all it is fairly simple to define actions that are not based on thinking, according to our common understanding. Such actions may be reflexes, for instance, when we close our eyes if an object is quickly approaching our face, or when we move our leg if somebody hits our knee with a hammer. Instincts are not supposed to be related to thinking and even the rather complex behavior of insects is often attributed to instincts. (It appears, however, that a new kind of understanding of insect behavior might emerge.) Thinking is not involved in unconscious actions, such as walking or swimming, actions that are controlled by the cerebellum and the spinal cord.
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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Haken, H. (1996). The Brain as a Computer or Can Computers Think?. In: Principles of Brain Functioning. Springer Series in Synergetics, vol 67. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79570-1_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79570-1_19
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