Networks of Meaning: A Bridge Between Mind and Matter [Hardcover]

Christine Hardy Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275960358 | ISBN-13: 978-0275960353 | Publication Date: October 30, 1998

The generation of meaning is the most fundamental process of the mind. It underlies all major mental functions, such as intelligence, memory, perception, and communication. Not surprisingly, it has been one of the most difficult processes to understand and represent in a model of human cognition. Dr. Christine Hardy introduces two fundamental concepts to address the complexity and richness of meaning. First, she discusses Semantic Constellations, which constitute the basic transversal network organization of mental and neural processes. Second, she addresses a highly dynamic connective process that underlies conscious thought and constantly gives birth to novel emergents or meanings. Taken together, Hardy asserts, the mind's network architecture and connective dynamics allow for self-organization, generativity, and creativity. They can also account for some of the most interesting facets of mental processes, in particular, nonlinear shifts and "breakthroughs" such as intuition, insights, and shifts in states of consciousness. This connective dynamic does not just take place within the mind. Rather, it involves a continuously evolving person-environment interaction: meaning is injected into the environment, and then retrojected, somewhat modified, back into the psyche. This means that, simultaneously, we are both perceiving reality and subtly influencing the very reality we perceive: objects, events, and other individuals. The way in which we think and feel, both individually and collectively, interacts with the physical world and directly shapes the society in which we live. The very same connective dynamic, Hardy shows, is the foundation for those rare yet striking transpersonal experiences known as synchronicity and psychic phenomena. We live in a world in which we interact with reality at a very fundamental level. Hardy's work is a major analysis for scholars and researchers in the cognitive sciences, psychology, and parapsychology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“With meticulous documentation and careful explication of technical terms, often using homey metaphors, Hardy makes a wealth of psychological research accessible to the general reader.”–Choice

“Hardy's text sparkles with illuminating insights and astute discussions, which assure one that self-referring consciousness studies is not a vain pursuit.”–Book Reviews

About the Author

CHRISTINE HARDY is President of Interface Psi, a research association investigating latent mind potentials. She has published several books on progressive scientific research and has presented her findings in various international conferences.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (October 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275960358
• ISBN-13: 978-0275960353
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,157,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new theory of consciousness, mind, and meaning., December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Networks of Meaning: A Bridge Between Mind and Matter (Hardcover)

While a few prominent linguists such as Alfred Korzybski and Benjamin Whorf have deeply influenced our understanding of meaning and language, surprisingly few psychologists have taken the study of meaning (semantics) as the foundation on which to build a working theory of the mind. Christine Hardy's book is a welcome corrective to this situation. In it she gives us a rich and broad semantic psychology that unfolds into a penetrating examination of consciousness itself. The result bridges the gap between traditional cognitive psychology with its schemas and semantic networks, and the modern process-oriented approach of the sciences of complexity. The book may well be the first step to an entirely new and deeply human understanding of the mind. (Allan Combs; author of The Radiance of Being)

5.0 out of 5 stars Cognitive Semantic Models with Social Implications, March 12, 2010

By 

Frederick D. Abraham "frederick david abraham" (waterbury center, VT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Networks of Meaning: A Bridge Between Mind and Matter (Hardcover)

Christine Hardy has proposed a bold, innovative approach to the dynamics of meaning. Transcending the usual interdisciplinary boundaries, she seeks to capture the real richness and complexity of self and existence--from the individual mind, to its interactions with society and the environment at large. Based on the concept of semantic constellations, she introduces a novel cognitive architecture which can account for the personal and collective dynamics underlying the construction of meaning.
Like Kristeva--though Hardy is not an avowed postmodern writer--her ideas center on both cognitive and emotional dynamical psychology, while pointing to important avenues for social change. I suspect these lines of inquiry will prove a popular direction for theorists who follow, and will challenge us all to enrich our thinking. The transformation and broadening of our mental frameworks comes with enormous responsibility. To quote Hardy: "Collectively, we co-create our culture and civilization, we inform the future of humanity." It is time we took this responsibility seriously.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No bridge here between mind and matter, September 1, 2007

By 

James I. Moffett (Gastonia, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Networks of Meaning: A Bridge Between Mind and Matter (Hardcover)

A scholarly attempt to write a scholarly book aimed more at the colleagues within her field than for the average or above average reader having an interest in mind and matter. This book reads more like the dissertation used in acquiring Ms Hardy's Ph.D.. The book is an attempt to support her introduction into the scientific field "the fundamental concept of a constellation of meanings, or semantic constellation (SeCo)" wherein the nucleus of the SeCo is a central meaning that "ties together interrelated concepts,internal sensations,images,sounds,colors,gestures,acts,attitudes,behaviors,moods,and so forth,while the SeCo(built upon the nuclei of meaning to create the constellation) is the ensemble, the network implicating all these various elements." The SeCo is also viewed as "self-organized,coherent clusters within a person's semantic field." Ms Hardy employs her best to fit this concept into the semantic field theory.
A host of "who's who" are cited and brought to light as a contributor in their field of expertise and woven in to support the books premise. Quantum Mechanics are touched upon in one chapter.
Each of the 11 chapters is followed with a lengthy list of source materials used to formulate, or should I say homogonize, the overall topic discussed. One has to question the originalness of the SeCo concept when it appears so many sources are being regurgitated to support it.
The bridge between mind and matter, in my opinion, was not established. The SeCo becomes such an abstract concept within the bridge that it remains just that, abstract. I understand the attempt, but this is science trying to bridge mind and matter when in fact spirituality provides a better bridge and better answers to the NETWORKS OF MEANING.
I would not recommend this book to anyone outside of academia or outside of Ms Hardy's scientific field of peers. This is not a book for the beginner or average reader on a path of spirituality seeking information into mind and matter. I find it less than informative or having any revelation qualities to the advanced knowledge seeker on his/her path of spirituality. My low score is a reflection matched against any such spiritual knowledge value gleened from this writing.