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Title details for The Biological Mind by Alan Jasanoff - Available

The Biological Mind

by Alan Jasanoff
ebook
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A pioneering neuroscientist argues that we are more than our brains
To many, the brain is the seat of personal identity and autonomy. But the way we talk about the brain is often rooted more in mystical conceptions of the soul than in scientific fact. This blinds us to the physical realities of mental function. We ignore bodily influences on our psychology, from chemicals in the blood to bacteria in the gut, and overlook the ways that the environment affects our behavior, via factors varying from subconscious sights and sounds to the weather. As a result, we alternately overestimate our capacity for free will or equate brains to inorganic machines like computers. But a brain is neither a soul nor an electrical network: it is a bodily organ, and it cannot be separated from its surroundings. Our selves aren't just inside our heads — they're spread throughout our bodies and beyond. Only once we come to terms with this can we grasp the true nature of our humanity.
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Publisher: Basic Books

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9781541644311
  • File size: 9749 KB
  • Release date: March 13, 2018

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9781541644311
  • File size: 9749 KB
  • Release date: March 13, 2018
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OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

subjects

Medical Psychology Science Nonfiction

Languages

English

A pioneering neuroscientist argues that we are more than our brains
To many, the brain is the seat of personal identity and autonomy. But the way we talk about the brain is often rooted more in mystical conceptions of the soul than in scientific fact. This blinds us to the physical realities of mental function. We ignore bodily influences on our psychology, from chemicals in the blood to bacteria in the gut, and overlook the ways that the environment affects our behavior, via factors varying from subconscious sights and sounds to the weather. As a result, we alternately overestimate our capacity for free will or equate brains to inorganic machines like computers. But a brain is neither a soul nor an electrical network: it is a bodily organ, and it cannot be separated from its surroundings. Our selves aren't just inside our heads — they're spread throughout our bodies and beyond. Only once we come to terms with this can we grasp the true nature of our humanity.
Expand title description text
Medical Psychology Science Nonfiction