ABSTRACT
In the preceding chapters, I have discussed the concrete neurophysiological mechanisms that form the basis of visual perception. As a result of the functioning of these mechanisms, a perceptual model of the visual world is formed. The model provides the content of our consciousness; thinking reflects the process of its involvement. I have identified visual perception with thinking based on concrete objects. I now discuss what connections can be made between these mechanisms and processes at a higher level, that is, the neurophysiological correlates of abstract thinking and language. To do this, we cannot depend on concrete neural structures. We can speak only about general principles of the organization of thinking and language. Similarly, we can only consider the problem where such principles can be shown. Thus, this chapter is limited to the problem of the organization of thinking and language, a much narrower scope than that taken in the rest of the volume.
