1903 – 1997
Sir John Eccles (1903-1997) was an Australian neurophysiologist and Nobel laureate who made foundational discoveries about synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. Later in his career, he became a prominent defender of mind-body dualism, arguing that consciousness cannot be reduced to brain activity and collaborating with philosopher Karl Popper on the influential work 'The Self and Its Brain'.
Won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on synaptic transmission
Co-authored 'The Self and Its Brain' (1977) with Karl Popper defending interactionist dualism
Proposed the hypothesis that the mind influences the brain via quantum effects at synapses
Authored 'Evolution of the Brain: Creation of the Self' (1989)
Defended non-reductive accounts of consciousness against materialist philosophy of mind