William H. Calvin

William H. Calvin ( born April 30, 1939) is a theoretical neurobiologist and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.

In several, partly popular science books, he combines neurophysiology and evolutionary biology to theories on the development of thinking. His theory according to the cerebral cortex is divided into hexagon - patches. The so-called spatio-temporal firing patterns activated one of these hexagons of the cerebral cortex and thus a specific term, an image or a particular tune. Calvin's theories are very controversial.

Books (in German translation published )

• The current flowing uphill. A journey through evolution. (1994)
• The symphony of thought. As consciousness arises. (1995)
• How the brain thinks. (1998)
• As the shaman stole the moon. (1998)
• The step from the cold. (2000)
• Insight into the brain. How thought and language arises. (2000, with George Ojemann )
• The language of the brain. As thoughts arise in our consciousness. (2002)
• How the brain thinks. The evolution of intelligence. (2004)