1998-10-20Z2011-03-11T08:53:51Zhttp://cogprints.org/id/eprint/365This item is in the repository with the URL: http://cogprints.org/id/eprint/3651998-10-20ZTHE THEORY OF THE ORGANISM-ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM: II. SIGNIFICANCE OF NERVOUS ACTIVITY IN THE ORGANISM-ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMThe relation between mental processes and brain activity is studied from the point of view of the theory of the organism-environment system. It is argued that the systemic point of view leads to a new kind of definition of the primary tasks of neurophysiology and to a new understanding of the traditional neurophysiological concepts. Neurophysiology is restored to its place as a part of biology: its task is the study of neurons as living units, not as computer chips. Neurons are living units which are organised as metabolic systems in connection with other neurons; they are not units which would carry out some psychological functions or maintain states which are typical only of the whole organism-environment system. Psychological processes, on the other hand, are processes always comprising the whole organism-environment system.Timo Jarvilehto