In article <6mn56k$gai at dfw-ixnews3.ix.netcom.com> F. Frank LeFever,
flefever at ix.netcom.com writes:
>Maclean's "tripartate" brain (reptilian, amphibian, etc.) was an
>imaginative but almost metaphorical expression.
>
These are good points, and obviously such a simple scheme is likely to be
inaccurate in the details. However, in terms of which parts are necessary
and sufficient for various levels of function, is it not true that
animals that have been surgically decerebrated can still breath, their
hearts beat, they secrete hormones, they have gastrointestinal functions?
I would say that is evidence of a real functional segregation between
"higher" and "lower" operations.
Cheers,
Matt Jones
