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In From Molecule to Metaphor, Jerome Feldman proposes a theory of language and
thought that treats language not as an abstract symbol system but as a human
biological ability that can be studied as a function of the brain, as vision
and motor control are studied. This theory, he writes, is a "bridging theory"
that works from extensive knowledge at two ends of a causal chain to explicate
the links between. Although the cognitive sciences are revealing much about how
our brains produce language and thought, we do not yet know exactly how words are
understood or have any methodology for finding out. Feldman develops his theory
in computer simulations¿¿¿formal models that suggest ways that language and thought
may be realized in the brain. Combining key findings and theories from biology,
computer science, linguistics, and psychology, Feldman synthesizes a theory by
exhibiting programs that demonstrate the required behavior while remaining consistent
with the findings from all disciplines.
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