"In The Algebraic Mind, Gary F. Marcus integrates two competing theories about how the mind works: one that says that the mind is a computer-like manipulator of symbols and another, that says that it is a large network of neurons working together in parallel. Refuting the conventional wisdom that says that if the mind is a large neural network it cannot simultaneously be a manipulator of symbols, Marcus shows how neural systems could be organized so as to manipulate symbols, why such systems explain language and cognition better than systems that eschew symbols, how such systems could evolve, and how they might unfold developmentally within the womb. The Algebraic Mind revamps our understanding of models in cognitive neuroscience and helps to set a new agenda for the field."--BOOK JACKET.