--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The task of neural science is to explain…" description: "\"The task of neural science is to explain behaviour in terms of the activities of the brain. How does the brain marshall its millions of individual nerv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png" --- # The task of neural science is to explain behaviour in… ![“The task of neural science is to explain behaviour in terms of the activities of the brain. How does the brain marshall its millions of individual nerve cells to produce behaviour, and how are these cells influenced by the environment...? The last frontier of the biological sciences – their…” quote by Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png) > “The task of neural science is to explain behaviour in terms of the activities of the brain. How does the brain marshall its millions of individual nerve cells to produce behaviour, and how are these cells influenced by the environment...? The last frontier of the biological sciences – their ultimate challenge – is to understand the biological basis of consciousness and the mental processes by which we perceive, act, learn, and remember.” [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The field aims to link brain activity to behavior, seeking to uncover how neural networks generate consciousness and mental functions. **In simple terms:** Neuroscience seeks to explain behavior via brain activity. Key Takeaway Study brain mechanisms to understand mind. Themes neuroscience consciousness behavior Mood analytical curious academic Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - education - clinical research - AI modeling - mental health interventions Key Concepts brain mapping environmental influence learning mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - What experiments could bridge brain activity and experience? - How does environment shape neural pathways? A Different Perspective Complexity of consciousness remains elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behaviour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour/) [Biological science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biological-science/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Frontiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontiers/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Nerves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerves/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [Neural science, which is the study of the brain, tells us that we have up to one billion brain cells with thousands of branches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-rhodes/neural-science-which-is-the-study-of-the-brain-tells-us-that-we-have/) [Tricia Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-rhodes/) > [“Indeed, the underlying precept of the new science of mind is that all mental processes are biological—they all depend on organic molecules and cellular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/indeed-the-underlying-precept-of-the-new-science-of-mind-is-that-all/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [Having studied biology really helped me a lot because I quickly understand how biological systems work, and how they fail, and the tragedy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/having-studied-biology-really-helped-me-a-lot-because-i-quickly/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [In all probability, mental states are processes and activities of the brain. Exactly what activities, and exactly at what level of description, remains to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-churchland/in-all-probability-mental-states-are-processes-and-activities-of-the/) [Patricia Churchland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-churchland/) > [The universal basis for the categorisation 'woman' will, no doubt, be constantly shifting but it is important not to deny it's existence altogether. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-assiter/the-universal-basis-for-the-categorisation-woman-will-no-doubt-be/) [Alison Assiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-assiter/) > [There is more and more data indicating that there is a biological basis to your political views.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/there-is-more-and-more-data-indicating-that-there-is-a-biological/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [The core of ethics runs deep in our species and is common to human beings everywhere. It survives the most appalling hardships and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-core-of-ethics-runs-deep-in-our-species-and-is-common-to-human/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Beyond natural history Other biological sciences take up the study at other levels of organization: dissecting the individual into organs and tissues and seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marston-bates/beyond-natural-history-other-biological-sciences-take-up-the-study-at/) [Marston Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marston-bates/) > [A lot of environmental and biological science depends on technology to progress. Partly I'm talking about massive server farms that help people crunch genetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/a-lot-of-environmental-and-biological-science-depends-on-technology/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [In the next 10 years, data science and software will do more for medicine than all of the biological sciences together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/in-the-next-10-years-data-science-and-software-will-do-more-for/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [In the field of consciousness research-and also in physics and astronomy-we are breaking past the cause-and-effect, mechanistic way of interpreting things. In the biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/in-the-field-of-consciousness-research-and-also-in-physics-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The study of butterflies-creatures selected as the types of airiness and frivolity-instead of being despised, will some day be valued as one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-walter-bates/the-study-of-butterflies-creatures-selected-as-the-types-of-airiness/) [Henry Walter Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-walter-bates/) > [If it were possible to transfer the methods of physical or of biological science directly to the study of man, the transfer would long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bloomfield/if-it-were-possible-to-transfer-the-methods-of-physical-or-of/) Leonard Bloomfield > [If I had to define life in a single phrase, I should clearly express my thought of throwing into relief one characteristic which, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/if-i-had-to-define-life-in-a-single-phrase-i-should-clearly-express/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [“Very high altitude astronomy only works by ignoring established biological science”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/very-high-altitude-astronomy-only-works-by-ignoring-established/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Eric Kandel > [“Indeed, the underlying precept of the new science of mind is that all mental processes are biological—they all depend on organic molecules and cellular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/indeed-the-underlying-precept-of-the-new-science-of-mind-is-that-all/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [In the 1950s and early 1960s, psychoanalysis swept through the intellectual community, and it was the dominant mode of thinking about the mind. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/in-the-1950s-and-early-1960s-psychoanalysis-swept-through-the/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [In art, as in science, reductionism does not trivialize our perception - of color, light, and perspective - but allows us to see each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/in-art-as-in-science-reductionism-does-not-trivialize-our-perception/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [I don't think neurobiology is going to replace aesthetics or art history. It's a parallel discipline that adds a new dimension. I always compare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/i-don-t-think-neurobiology-is-going-to-replace-aesthetics-or-art/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [One of the ultimate challenges of biology is to understand how the brain becomes consciously aware of perception, experience and emotion. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/one-of-the-ultimate-challenges-of-biology-is-to-understand-how-the/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [I see psychoanalysis, art and biology ultimately coming together, just like cognitive psychology and neuroscience have merged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/i-see-psychoanalysis-art-and-biology-ultimately-coming-together-just/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [The brain is a complex biological organ possessing immense computational capability: it constructs our sensory experience, regulates our thoughts and emotions, and controls our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/the-brain-is-a-complex-biological-organ-possessing-immense/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [Ever since the Enlightenment, people thought that we were living in a rational universe. They thought that God was a mathematician and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/ever-since-the-enlightenment-people-thought-that-we-were-living-in-a/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [I was interested in the nature of human mental processes, which is what got me interested in psychoanalysis. And it became clear to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/i-was-interested-in-the-nature-of-human-mental-processes-which-is/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [It may act as an ancillary factor, but by itself, the mutation in tau doesn't give you Alzheimer's disease. This is not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/it-may-act-as-an-ancillary-factor-but-by-itself-the-mutation-in-tau/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [If you have a lesion in the hippocampus in both sides, you have short term memory, but you can convert that short term memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/if-you-have-a-lesion-in-the-hippocampus-in-both-sides-you-have-short/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [My heart beats in three-quarter time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/my-heart-beats-in-three-quarter-time/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [Vienna is relatively small. And it had wonderful salons, opportunities for people to get together. There was a lot of interaction between scientists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/vienna-is-relatively-small-and-it-had-wonderful-salons-opportunities/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [Rather than studying the most complex form of memory in a very complicated animal, we had to take the most simple form - an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/rather-than-studying-the-most-complex-form-of-memory-in-a-very/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [Since Socrates and Plato first speculated on the nature of the human mind, serious thinkers through the ages - from Aristotle to Descartes, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/since-socrates-and-plato-first-speculated-on-the-nature-of-the-human/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) [Explore all 67 Eric Kandel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) Gero Miesenbock > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The task of neural science is to explain behaviour in terms of the activities of the brain. How does the brain marshall its millions of individual nerve cells to produce behaviour, and how are these cells influenced by the environment...? The last frontier of the biological sciences – their ultimate challenge – is to understand the biological basis of consciousness and the mental processes by which we perceive, act, learn, and remember.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Kandel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain-behaviour-in-terms-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Activity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain-behaviour-in-terms-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/eric-kandel-10189_activity_the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain_2144925.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The task of neural science is to explain behaviour in terms of the activities of the brain. How does the…” — Eric Kandel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric Kandel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The task of neural science is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain-behaviour-in-terms-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/the-task-of-neural-science-is-to-explain-behaviour-in-terms-of-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```