We propose a new dynamical mechanism for information processing in mind and brain. We emphasize that a hermeneutic process is one of the key processes manifesting the functions of the brain and that it can be formulated as an itinerant motion in ultrahigh dimensional dynamical systems, which may give a new realm of the dynamic information processing. Our discussions are based on the notion of chaotic information processing and the observations of biological chaos.

Using the concepts of chaotic dynamical systems, we present an interpretation of dynamic neural activity found in cortical and subcortical areas. The discovery of chaotic itinerancy in high-dimensional dynamical systems with and without a noise term has motivated a new interpretation of this dynamic neural activity, cast in terms of the high-dimensional transitory dynamics among “exotic” attractors. This interpretation is quite different from the conventional one, cast in terms of simple behavior on low-dimensional attractors. Skarda and Freeman (1987) presented evidence (...) in support of the conclusion that animals cannot memorize odor without chaotic activity of neuron populations. Following their work, we study the role of chaotic dynamics in biological information processing, perception, and memory. We propose a new coding scheme of information in chaos-driven contracting systems we refer to as Cantor coding. Since these systems are found in the hippocampal formation and also in the olfactory system, the proposed coding scheme should be of biological significance. Based on these intensive studies, a hypothesis regarding the formation of episodic memory is given. Key Words: Cantor coding; chaotic itinerancy; dynamic aspects of the brain; dynamic associative memory; episodic memory; high-dimensional dynamical systems; SCND attractors. (shrink)

Kampis proposes the study of chaotic itinerancy, pointing out its significance in domains of cognitive science and philosophy. He has discovered in the concept of chaotic itinerancy the possibility for a new dynamical approach that elucidates mental states with a physical basis. This approach may therefore provide the means to go beyond the connectionist approach. In accordance with his theory, I here highlight three issues regarding chaotic itinerancy: transitory dynamics, diversity, and self-modifying system.

I would like to emphasize the significance of chaotic dynamics at both local and macroscopic levels in the cortex. The basic notions dealt with in this commentary will be noise-induced order, chaotic “itinerancy” and dissipative structure. Wright & Laley's theory would be partially misleading, since emergent nonlinearity rather than the linearity at even a macroscopic level can actually subserve cortical functions.

We consider the significance of high-dimensional transitory dynamics in the brain and mind. In particular, we highlight the roles of high-dimensional chaotic dynamical systems as an “adequate language” (Gelfand 1989), which should possess both explanatory and predictive power of description. We discuss the methods of description of dynamic behavior of the brain. These methods have been adopted to capture the averaged or deterministic complexity, and further to allow for discussion of a new approach to capture the complexity of the deviation (...) from such an averaged complexity and also the complexity of interactive modes. We also give arguments in defense of our models for dynamic memory with chaotic itinerancy and Cantor coding. In addition, we discuss the reality that a model of the brain and mind should reflect. (shrink)

A given but otherwise random environmental time series impinging on the input of a certain biological processor passes through with overwhelming probability practically undetected. A very small percentage of environmental stimuli, though, is ‘captured’ by the processor's nonlinear dissipative operator as initial conditions, and is ‘processed’ as solutions of its dynamics. The processor, then, is in such cases instrumental in compressing or abstracting those stimuli, thereby making the external world to collapse from a previous regime of a ‘pure state’ of (...) suspended animation into a set of stable complementary and mutually exclusive eigenfunctions or ‘categories'. The characteristics of this cognitive set depend on the operator involved and the hierarchical level where the abstraction takes place. Depending on the context, the transition from one state to another occurs in such a cognitive operator. The chaotic itinerancy may play a crucial role for this process. In this paper we model the dynamics which may underlie such a cognitive process and the role of the thalamo-cortical pacemaker of the brain. In order to model them, conceptualization by the notion of ‘attractor ruin’ in high-dimensional dynamical systems is necessary. (shrink)

Das Problem der Intersubjektivitiit Intersubjektivität ist Husserl schon seit der Darstellung der Ideen I in Zusammenhang mit dem Problem der phiinomenologischen phänomenologischen Reduk tion sehr stark bewusst und wird, wie die neue VerOffentlichung Veröffentlichung 'Zur Phänome Phiinome nologie der Intersubjektivität'l Intersubjektivitiit'l ausdrücklich ausdrucklich zeigt, zeit seines Lebens in seinem Denken mit mehr oder weniger Intensitiit Intensität behandelt. Bekanntlich hat Husserl Hussed die Einfühlungslehre EinfUhlungslehre in seinem spiiten späten Versuch mit der 'Selbstobjektivation' 'Selbstobjektivation',, 'Selbstauslegung' des absoluten, anonymen, transzen 2 dentalen ego (...) erkliirt. erklärt. Gerade auf diesen Punkt konzentriert sich zutreffende Kritik und zeigt die Unvermeidbarkeit des transzendentalen Solipsismus; was als Grund für fUr echte echte Intersubjektivitiit Intersubjektivität gesucht gesucht wird, wird, niimlich nämlich die die Gleichursprunglich Gleichursprünglich keit keit von von Subjekten, Subjekten, fUhrt führt schliesslich schliesslich auf auf den den Weg der Radikalisierung der trans zendentalen Reduktion und der Erklärung Erkliirung mit der immanenten Zeitigung des transzendentalen ego in die 'einseitige Verlagerung des Gewichts auf ein konsti tuierendes Ur-Ich, dem kein ebenso ursprungliches ursprüngliches Du gegenübersteht, gegeniibersteht,...'3. (shrink)

日本知名學者津田左右吉 著眼《論語》中孔子言論的捏造、錯植與改寫等問題， 以原典批評的實證方法， 透過文本與前後時期諸史料的相互對照、比較， 釐清《論語》與孔子思想、言論的關係。 津田左右吉先生一路抽絲剝繭，先確立孔子言論，進而對孔子思想加以評析，闡述《論語》與孔子思想是如何被儒家承襲、變改、甚而運用操作，同時亦探討《論語》一書成立的原委以及儒學形成的脈絡，思考孔子思想在儒學脈 絡中所扮演的角色問題。 津田左右吉身為歷史學暨思想史學家，對於日本與中國的歷史、思想、文化等領域多所鑽研，著述豐碩。而在研究中國思想、特別是儒家思想之際，一如本書「緒言」開頭所述，津田開宗明義表示欲通曉儒家思想，必先明白孔子 思想，而要明白孔子思想，必得好好研讀《論語》。然而津田在研究考察《論語》一書的過程中，發現《論語》所記載的孔子言論有諸多不一致與矛盾之處，似非出自孔子所言，後人假借孔子之名偽作或新創的情況不少，於是其 以原典批評的實證方法，透過《論語》文本與其前後時代諸多史料典籍的相互對照比較，試釐清《論語》和孔子思想、言論的關係，《論語》一書成立的原委，並更進一步地探討儒學形成的脈絡，以及孔子思想在這樣的儒學中又 扮演了什麼樣的角色等問題。津田認為，過去學者們沒有注意到文本中孔子言論的捏造、錯植和改寫等問題，是研究上極大的致命傷。而在本書中，津田從最根本的問題著手，將《論語》中有哪些章句確定是孔子所言，又有哪些 不是孔子所說，而非孔子所言者是在何時、又為何會被視作孔言等問題，都做了詳盡的查證與精闢的分析。一路抽絲剝繭，先確立孔子言論，進而對孔子思想的內涵加以評析，闡述《論語》與孔子思想是如何被儒家承襲、變改、 甚而運用操作等問題。本書在《論語》與孔子思想關係的釐清上，特別是先秦至西漢時期孔子言論竄作改寫過程的解明等，都對現今儒學研究有實質上的助益。.

「もの」とは何か、自明の基礎語を徹底して批評・解明。「もの」と「自覚」の矛盾・対抗を基本軸にしながら、移動・推移する「情」を普遍的媒介者として新たに位置づけ、日本思想史についての核心的な断面を明らかに した。.

Im vorliegenden Buch wird das Verhaltnis zwischen den Problematiken der Zeit und des Anderen durchdacht. Die Genese der Zeit wird inhaltlich hinsichtlich der Entwicklung der drei Schichten des Werdeprozesses des Subjekts untersucht. Die erste Schicht wird als die ursprungliche, vor-ichliche Zeitigung durch die Triebintentionalitat zwischen dem Kleinkind und den Eltern angesehen. In der zweiten Schicht wird der Ursprung der messbaren, objektiven Zeitlichkeit und Raumlichkeit durch das Auftreten der aktiven Synthesen des Wahrnehmens, des Sprechens, des Urteilens, des Rechnens usw. intersubjektiv grundgelegt. (...) Dadurch wird die Integration der neurowissenschaftlichen Untersuchung des Bewusstseins durch B. Libet oder jener Spiegelneuronen durch G. Rizzolatti in die genetische Phanomenologie Husserls begrundet. Die dritte Schicht bezieht sich auf den Ursprung der Zeit aus dem Du der Ich-Du-Beziehung beim Erwachsenen. Dabei werden die Ich-Du-Beziehung und die selbstlose, nicht-ichliche Zuwendung zur Welt im Buddhismus in den folgenden Fragestellungen der genetischen Phanomenologie weiter vertieft: zum einen die Frage nach der Entstehung der einzelnen Empfindungsfelder aus der Ursynasthese, zum anderen die nach der Entstehung der Ethik aus dem vorsprachlichen und ubersprachlichen Schweigen der selbstlosen Zuwendung zur Welt. (shrink)

歴史の中で生み出された時代や人々の思想を「事項編」で、個別思想家128人の人と思想を「人物編」で解説し、日本思想史の流れを、わかりやすく鳥瞰する。.

L’avocat japonais a été institué en 1872 à l’image de l’avocat français, au cours du mouvement de modernisation qui a suivi l’ouverture du pays. Mais l’état d’esprit y était et reste celui de la bureaucratie judiciaire. L’avocat n’a obtenu son indépendance qu’en 1949. Malgré les apparences, son rôle ne semble pas suffisamment développé pour permettre à la Justice d’avancer pleinement dans le sens de la protection des droits et libertés. Après avoir dressé un aperçu général de l’évolution et de l’état (...) actuel de la profession d’avocat, nous examinerons la possibilité d’étendre ses fonctions à de nouvelles activités. (shrink)

It has long been thought that transmembrane cell‐surface receptors, such as receptor tyrosine kinases and cytokine receptors, among others, are activated by ligand binding through ligand‐induced dimerization of the receptors. However, there is growing evidence that prior to ligand binding, various transmembrane receptors have a preformed, yet inactive, dimeric structure on the cell surface. Various studies also demonstrate that during transmembrane signaling, ligand binding to the extracellular domain of receptor dimers induces a rotation of transmembrane domains, followed by rearrangement and/or (...) activation of intracellular domains. The paper here describes transmembrane cell‐surface receptors that are known or proposed to exist in dimeric form prior to ligand binding, and discusses how these preformed dimers are activated by ligand binding. (shrink)

To understand the public opinion concerning the genethics in culturally different populations, we conducted two focus groups in Japan, with one focus group each in China and Panama between April 2008 and August 2009. Generally, the participants in Japan were more cautious to disclose their personal thinking in a clear manner. Most participants in China and Panama hoped to have children free from any genetic disease if at all possible. The major difference between China and Panama seems to be whether (...) or not they will accept the issue of genetic abortion. Compared to China and Panama, fewer participants accepted a reprogenetics procedure in Japan. ―A goal of genetic counseling is to reduce the number of patients of genetic disease‖ is supported to a greater degree in China and Panama than in Japan. Most participants in China as well as Panama, and fewer participants in Japan accepted the concept of sharing genetic information with relatives, even though it is useful for preventing a possible genetic risk. The difference of the answers for the questions is depending on the cultural and value diversity in each country, while some of them are related into a paucity of knowing the principle of biogenetics. Education as to medical genetics and the principle of bioethics is most important to make genetics more accessible to the general public. (shrink)