Exploring Analogies Between Neural and Societal Systems
Thomas J. Anastasio, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Lillian Hoddeson, Department of History
This proposal will explore how studying social systems might open new perspectives for understanding neural systems. The work will focus on two case studies. One will compare the organization and function of hierarchical social systems, such as scientific institutions, with hierarchical processing in brains. The other case study will compare the effects of trauma on memory loss in brains with the effects on cultural memory of “social traumas” such as war or other crises. The long-term goal is to grow the project from the case studies to a new interdisciplinary program in which ideas flow between the neural and social sciences in both directions, yielding new insights that would not only deepen knowledge, but also provide inspiration for novel technological applications.