Cognitive ImmunologySome of the mos

Cognitive ImmunologySome of the most important practical applications of the Santiago theory are those that are likely to arise from its impact on neuro­ science and immunology. As mentioned previously, the new view of cognition greatly clarifies the age-old puzzle about the relation­ ship between mind and brain. Mind is not a thing but a process­ the process of cognition, which is identified with the process of life. The brain is a specific structure through which this process operates. Thus the relationship between mind and brain is one between process and structure.The brain is by no means the only structure involved in the process of cognition. In the human organism, as in the organisms of all vertebrates, the immune system is increasingly being recog­ nized as a network that is as complex and interconnected as the nervous system and serves equally important coordinating func­ tions. Classical immunology sees the immune system as the body's defense system, outwardly directed and often described in terms of military metaphors-armies of white blood cells, generals, soldiers, and so on. Recent discoveries by Francisco Varela and his colleagues at the University of Paris are seriously challenging this conception.34 In fact, some researchers now believe that the classi­ cal view with its military metaphors has been one of the main stumbling blocks in our understanding of autoimmune diseases such as AIDS.