Overview

What sets humans apart from other animals? Perhaps more than anything else, it is the capacity for innovation. The accumulation throughout history of discoveries big and small has enabled us to build global civilizations and gain power to shape our environment. But what makes humans as a species so innovative? Min W. Jung offers a new understanding of the neural basis of innovation in terms of humans' exceptional capacity for imagination and high-level abstraction. He provides an engaging account of recent advances in neuroscience that have shed light on the neural underpinnings of these profoundly important abilities. Jung examines key discoveries concerning the hippocampus and neural circuits that have demystified the processes underlying imagination and abstract thinking. He also considers how these capacities might have evolved as well as possible futures for intelligence. Bringing together disparate findings in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and artificial intelligence, A Brain for Innovation develops a unified perspective on the mechanisms of imagination, abstract thought, and creativity. Presenting cutting-edge neuroscientific research in a way that is accessible to readers without a background in the subject, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the biological basis of one of the most fundamental aspects of human nature.

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9780231213363

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Reviews

Although memory, imagination, and planning are discrete concepts, this insightful book by Min W. Jung, an internationally respected researcher, demonstrates that the brain does not make such distinctions. Written in delightful prose, this volume will spark interest for the specialist and other curious minds alike. -- György Buzsáki, author of <i>Rhythms of the Brain</i> and <i>The Brain from Inside Out</i> In this wide-ranging and scholarly book, Min W. Jung conveys many of the complexities of modern cognitive neuroscience in an accessible way for readers with minimal scientific background. While his particular focus is on how the human brain became so good at innovation, his broad interests make this book a treat no matter one's background. -- Lynn Nadel, Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Arizona A Brain for Innovation is a highly approachable account of how the human brain’s ability to imagine with abstract concepts has been applied to demystify this same ability. After entertaining us with his skillful crisscrossing of neuroscience, AI, and philosophy, Jung also reminds us that imagination is a double-edged sword and must be used cautiously to save our future. -- Daeyeol Lee, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

In this wide-ranging and scholarly book, Min W. Jung conveys many of the complexities of modern cognitive neuroscience in an accessible way for readers with minimal scientific background. While his particular focus is on how the human brain became so good at innovation, his broad interests make this book a treat no matter one's background. -- Lynn Nadel, Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Arizona A Brain for Innovation is a highly approachable account of how the human brain’s ability to imagine with abstract concepts has been applied to demystify the same ability. After entertaining us with his skillful crisscrossing of neuroscience, AI, and philosophy, Prof. Min W. Jung also reminds us that imagination is a double-edged sword and must be used cautiously to save our future. -- Daeyeol Lee, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

Memories are not only about the past but for the future. There is no future without the past, and the future can be imagined and planned. Although memory, imagination and planning are discrete words, this insightful book by Min W. Jung, an internationally respected researcher, explains that the brain does not make such distinctions. Written in a delightful prose, this volume will spark interest for the specialist and other curious minds alike. -- György Buzsáki, author of <i>Rhythms of the Brain and The Brain from Inside Out In this wide-ranging and scholarly book, Min W. Jung conveys many of the complexities of modern cognitive neuroscience in an accessible way for readers with minimal scientific background. While his particular focus is on how the human brain became so good at innovation, his broad interests make this book a treat no matter one's background. -- Lynn Nadel, Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Arizona A Brain for Innovation is a highly approachable account of how the human brain’s ability to imagine with abstract concepts has been applied to demystify the same ability. After entertaining us with his skillful crisscrossing of neuroscience, AI, and philosophy, Prof. Min W. Jung also reminds us that imagination is a double-edged sword and must be used cautiously to save our future. -- Daeyeol Lee, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

Author Information

Min W. Jung is a vice director of the Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions at the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He received his PhD from the University of California, Irvine. His primary interests are the neural mechanisms of memory, imagination, and decision making.

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