If the conscious mind--the part you consider you--is just the tip of the iceberg in the brain, what is all the rest doing? In Incognito, neuroscientist David Eagleman plumbs the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising questions: Why can your foot jump halfway to the brake pedal before you are consciously aware of danger ahead? Why do strippers make more money at certain times of the month, although no one is consciously aware of their fertility level? Is there a true Mel Gibson? What do Odysseus and the subprime mortgage meltdown have in common? How is your brain like a conflicted democracy engaged in civil war? Why are people whose name begins with J more likely to marry other people whose name begins with J? Why is it so difficult to keep a secret? Why did Supreme Court Justice William Douglas deny that he was paralyzed? This subsurface exploration includes diversions into brain damage, drugs, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, the future of artificial intelligence, and visual illusions--all highlighting how our perception of the world is a hidden and awe-inspiring construction of the brain.
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Publisher:
New York : Pantheon, 2011
ISBN:
9780670063925
9780307377333
9780307377333
Branch Call Number:
153 EAG 2011 22
Characteristics:
290 p. : ill
Alternative Title:
Secret lives of the brain
Opinion
From the critics
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Add a CommentEye Opening on how brain really works by one of the foremost experts in the field.
This book is another good book about evolutionary psychology, My favorite book on evolutionary psychology is "Why Everyone (Else) is a Hypocrite" but this book is a close second. Like my favorite book, it discusses the multiple mind theory and the problems with free will. He does push a theory about prison reform somewhat much but it was an interesting thought.
Eagleman presents an engaging view of how the brain works in this easily readable and informative book. He weaves narrative of real life cases together with his background in neuroscience to illustrate how the human brain functions and how we perceive reality. This is a great read that will keep you engaged from start to finish. You’ll finish the book a little more enlightened and, perhaps, with a different outlook on just what your brain means to you.
This is a GREAT book, if you're looking for something intellectually stimulating AND entertaining. Don't bother if you're looking for something closer to a "harry potter" sort of entertainment.
I am very interested in all the neuroscience books that have been coming out on the workings of the brain. This book added to my knowledge and challenged me with new ideas about our control of our lives. Recommended!
Just when I was about to give up existentialism based on the author's belief that consciousness is a small part of the brain that is probably almost completely controlled by the organic mind, he reverses his position and claims that life is a mystery! A very gripping read about new discoveries of the brain.