The Meaning of Dreams; Mysteries of the Mind; Scientific American Presents; by Winson; 8 Page(s)

Throughout history human beings have sought to understand the meaning of dreams. The ancient Egyptians believed dreams possessed oracular power-in the Bible, for example, Joseph's elucidation of Pharaoh's dream averted seven years of famine. Other cultures have interpreted dreams as inspirational, curative or alternative reality. During the past century, scientists have offered conflicting psychological and neuroscientific explanations for dreams. In 1900, with the publication of The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud proposed that dreams were the "royal road" to the unconscious; that they revealed in disguised form the deepest elements of an individual's inner life.

More recently, in contrast, dreams have been characterized as meaningless, the result of random nerve cell activity. Dreaming has also been viewed as the means by which the brain rids itself of unnecessary information-a process of "reverse learning," or unlearning.