Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self - Softcover

Ouellette, Jennifer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143121650 ISBN 13: 9780143121657

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2014

Synopsis

As diverse as people appear to be, all of our genes and brains are nearly identical. In Me, Myself, and Why, Jennifer Ouellette dives into the miniscule ranges of variation to understand just what sets us apart. She draws on cutting-edge research in genetics, neuroscience, and psychology-enlivened as always with her signature sense of humor-to explore the mysteries of human identity and behavior. Readers follow her own surprising journey of self-discovery as she has her genome sequenced, her brain mapped, her personality typed, and even samples a popular hallucinogen. Bringing together everything from Mendel's famous pea plant experiments and mutations in The X-Men to our taste for cilantro and our relationships with virtual avatars, Ouellette takes us on an endlessly thrilling and illuminating trip into the science of ourselves

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer Ouellette is the author of three previous books. She writes the popular science and culture blog Cocktail Party Physics for Scientific American. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

*Starred Review* Who are we? Who am I? Those are the questions science writer Ouellette (The Calculus Diaries, 2010) tackles in this elegant and very personal inquiry into identity and the science of the self. Ouellette examines the many aspects of the making of a self, including discussions on nature versus nurture. Regarding the latter, she believes the origins of the self combine both elements, “locked in an intricate dance.” Ouellette leapfrogs through scientific, philosophical, and even pop history, which makes for fun reading as she expresses her views of an array of figures and artifacts, from Gregor Mendel to Francis Galton, John Locke to Kevin Bacon, Harry Potter movies to Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending sci-fi film, Inception. She discusses the so-called Prozac gene, brain scans, the “hangover gene,” avatars, sexual orientation and gender-atypical behaviors, the persistence and accuracy of memory, consciousness and the soul, and other provocative topics. Sometimes she’s funny, such as when she experiments with LSD for “research” purposes; other times, poignant: “Everyone finds their own way to create meaning out of our allotted time on this Earth.” An entertaining, insightful, and thoughtful reflection on our assumptions about ourselves and the mystery that is at the heart of the human story. --June Sawyers

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0143121650
• ISBN 13: 9780143121657
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 348