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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Gazzaniga goes over this skilfully and pleasantly - the only aspect which tempered my enjoyment somewhat is the attempt to explain how behaviours link to brain structure and function: here I think he does not succeed as he does in [b:Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology Of The Mind|1656310|Cognitive Neuroscience The Biology Of The Mind|Michael S. Gazzaniga|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1186443720s/1656310.jpg|325236], as of course he does not have the space, and he decides not to go for pictures, so that in the end this is lost on the reader (or at least on this reader :-) ) - which was frustrating for me, as I could see the various elements would construct a clearer picture if only I could understand the biology of the brain better, whereas for me these elements remained a collection of very interesting but somewhat disconnected experimental results. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable and instructive read.
Its prologue was succinct and stuffed full of interesting facts (such as the discovery that rats have metacognition). Throughout, Gazzaniga asserted his view very clearly: that although humans and animals share many similarities we are not the same, as our abilities are on a completely different scale and league to those even of chimps.
Through his writing Gazzaniga's distinctive personality can easily be seen in the form of his shining wittiness colouring the pages. One of my favourite quotes from this book illustrates this quite well, when questioning whether big brains are the cause of why we are unique - "If you think the answer is going to be found in the beginning of the first chapter, you are not using that big brain of yours" (pg. 16).
In addition, he really tried (and mostly succeeded) to appeal to readers new to this area of science and professional specialists alike. Caught in the middle, I appreciated the fine balance Gazzaniga struck between heavy explanations of every specialist term and the other extreme of breezing through expecting readers to understand him fully. He does this by using explanations that most people would easily understand, such as the example of catching a fugitive to illustrate how communication works in the brain's prefrontal cortex. Gazzaniga literally explains all the terms uncommon in non-scientific books, such as module in the context of neurology. One of my favourite explanations has to be of pyramidal cells (a type of neuron) in the cerebral cortex, where he uses the rather unconventional visual example of Hershey's Kisses to help readers understand how the cells fit together in columns in the brain. I actually brought Human back home over Easter, and my dad picked it up to take a look, scanned the first few pages, and was so captivated that after I left he began reading the Chinese translated version of this book, and finished it even before I did, moving on next to The Ethical Brain: The Science of Our Moral Dilemmas, also by Gazzaniga. A handy index at the back was also very convenient.
His concise definitions ensure that his writing stays focused, that it does not suddenly veer off on a tangent; therefore keeping his argument strong. If there is one thing my history teachers have taught me about writing argumentative essays, it is to never ever talk about anything unrelated to the core argument, as it disperses the impact of your words and decreases the 'punchiness' of the final conclusion.
I did find that it was a tough book to read, but it was also funny and interesting. Though I don't study neuroscience or behavioural psychology in class, the areas where it touched upon human evolution and the arguments surrounding Homo sapiens as the unique outcome from this process, helped deepen and flesh out my understanding of evolutionary biology. After reading this book, even in the shower when I think of behaviours certain people exhibit, such as checking mucus in their tissues after blowing their noses, I keep feeling that they are inextricably linked to evolution and natural selection, as this behaviour could very well have lingered due to mucus colour being a possible sign of whether a sinus infection is present. (I apologise for that gross example.)
Basically - good book.
I learned a ton of interesting stuff about the brain, but the book is about more than just intelligence. Theory of mind, ethics, language and more are explored, and all in a very accessible style. Gazzaniga often explains things by giving voice to brain structures and other inanimate objects. I was thoroughly engaged by the whole book, and utterly impressed by how good the writing is. If only more academics could write the way real people talk, without dumbing down the content at all.
This was on my "to-read" list for a long time, but I was almost afraid to get around to actually reading it, because I thought it might be a dense, challenging toughie. I'm so glad I finally read it, and wish I would have known what a joy it was going to be to read.
i really enjoyed this book - it's a science book but not too science-y so you don't have to put it down every few pages for a comic book break.
gazzaniga talks about how we are who were are compared to animals and explains things like gossip, in group/out group behavior, and doing each other favors with evolution.
good read! if you're feeling like a smarty pants.
Gazzaniga believes that humans are unique and sets about convincing his audience through explaining what is known (and still not known) about different cognitive processes in humans and animals, especially comparing us to non-human primates (i.e. monkeys and apes). Topics include language, art, and consciousness. An example of this is asking if animals produce or appreciate art. We know humans do, but why? What is the evolutionary function of art? How does it help us to survive?
Gazzaniga is able to cover many topics in this book to provide evidence for his pont. All of his facts are well referenced, so that interested readers can find the primary documents for the research (I even found a paper that he cited because I wanted to know more!). Gazzaniga's own research is also very interesting, he studies split brain patients, patients who have had their corpus callosum (the main fiber tract that allows the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate with each other); through his research, Gazzaniga is able to test what each hemisphere is responsible for doing and how important that communication between hemispheres is for an integrated self-awareness.
While I found many of Gazzaniga's points interesting, there were a few things I did not like about the writing in the book. Some parts went into very basic explanations of science (which is good for many readers without a science background!) but then other parts listed more scientific detail than necessary to make the point, which meant that some parts felt tedious. I read this book for the ideas that Gazzaniga postulated and to find out why he believed that humans are distinct, not to pretend that I was retaking functional neuroanatomy. While I have no problem with either basic scientific explanation or in-depth scientific reasoning, I felt that they didn't belong in the same book. Non-science readers can still read the book and understand most of Gazzaniga's point, there may just be a few parts that are best to skim if you want the ideas and not the explanations.
My favorite section was the last topic covered in the book, robots and artificial intelligence. I've never studied much computer science or robotics (nor do I want to), but I find it fascinating nonetheless. I liked that Gazzaniga brought in many perspectives on A.I., from believing that we will soon have human-like robots to the belief that we will never be able to create computers that act/behave/think/feel like humans. This section also included DNA therapy ideas and the ethic questions that necessarily go along with these therapies.
Overall, I enjoyed the ideas in this book and I learned many interesting facts (my favorite: monkeys have two tubes in their throat, one for eating and the other for breathing, which means that it is impossible for them to choke! Yet it was evolutionarily more advantageous for humans to combine the tubes, making it possible to choke, but allowing us to make all the sounds that we can make- which monkeys cannot). I recommend this book for anyone interested in neuroscience and human nature, regardless of science background, but with the understanding that it is not necessary to understand every point if you don't have a biology or neuroscience foundation