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The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We

Name: The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We
Brand: Basic Books
SKU: 9780465052684
Price: 25.99 USD
Availability: InStock

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The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are

1st Edition

by Alan Jasanoff (Author)

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.

Review

"Taking the brain off of its pedestal, Jasanoff offers an exhaustive, comprehensible, and at times playful (e.g., why do humans now study brains instead of eat them?) look at the brain. Appropriate for both neuroscientists as well as general readers interested in gaining a better understanding of this vital organ."―Library Journal

"Jasanoff writes with admirable clarity as he argues that the modern tendency of neuroscience to take a 'brain-centered view' that overlooks external sources of behavior can lead to epistemological dead ends."―Kirkus Reviews

"Neuroscientist Alan Jasanoff has identified a widespread 'Brain Mystique'--a collection of folk theories about the brain that are scientifically false. In The Biological Mind, Jasanoff dispels these theories while leading the reader on an engaging tour of real neuroscience, from the brain to the body to the social and physical world."―George Lakoff, coauthor of The Neural Mind

About the Author

Alan Jasanoff is the award-winning director of the MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering. He lives near Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Product details

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (March 13, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0465052681
ISBN-13: 978-0465052684
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds