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Putting the Question in Perspective

Basic to the question of whether or not the brain and the rest of the human nervous system have a simple operating principle are some central facts about biology and its relation to neuroscience. What nervous systems do is best appreciated in the context of what all organisms must accomplish in order to survive and prosper, with or without neural assistance. Although the author’s understanding of these issues is no more than that of any other student who pays a modicum of attention to the broader sweep of scientific progress, this chapter considers some points of consensus. The aim is to situate the quest for a principle of neural function in the context of biology writ large.