Understanding the Nervous System

A major problem in understanding how the nervous system works deals with the conversion of the physical nerve structures and impulses to the psychophysical sensations and feelings. Somewhere in the nervous system, this transition occurs to account for characteristics that make us human.

The Concept of Emergent Properties

One possible mechanism for this elusive event is the concept of emergent properties. The appearance of a property that does not inhere to, and is not predictable from, the components or modules of a system.

Role of Cortical Areas

The suggestion is made that late Phylogenetic cortical areas constitute the critical components to allow emergence of these properties that are uniquely human.