From the described experiment it is clear that the mere act of eating, the food even not reaching the stomach, determines the stimulation of the gastric glands.
Ivan PavlovRead
If we could look through the skull into the brain of a consciously thinking person, and if the place of optimal excitability were luminous, then we should see playing over the cerebral surface, a bright spot with fantastic, waving borders constantly fluctuating in size and form, surrounded by a darkness more or less deep, covering the rest of the hemisphere.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote imagines visualizing the active thoughts in a person's brain as a radiant spot amid darkness, emphasizing the complexity of thought processes.
In this quote, Ivan Pavlov vividly describes the essence of conscious thought by using the metaphor of light and darkness within the brain. He imagines that if we could observe the inner workings of a thinking mind, we would see a bright, dynamic area representing active, fluctuating thoughts, surrounded by the quieter, less active regions of the brain. This illustrates the intricacies of mental activity and the contrast between active contemplation and background mental processes.
Themes
ThoughtBrainConsciousnessActivityImagination
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about neuroscience, one might use this quote to illustrate the complexity of human thought processes.
More from Ivan Pavlov
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Science demands from a man all his life. If you had two lives that would not be enough for you. Be passionate in your work and in your searching.
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Learn the ABC of science before you try to ascend to its summit.
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Do not become archivists of facts. Try to penetrate to the secret of their occurrence, persistently search for the laws which govern them.
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