The Undiscovered Mind How the Human Brain Defies Replication, Medication, and explanation - Hardcover

Horgan, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297842250 ISBN 13: 9780297842255

Publisher: Free Press, 1999

Synopsis

What are the limits of self-knowledge? Acclaimed science writer John Horgan takes a penetrating look into the world of neuroscience in The Undiscovered Mind , a follow-up to his more general The End of Science . Already pessimistic about the long-term prospects for the grand endeavor of scientific progress, he finds even more reason for skepticism about the claims of those who study the brain and the mind. Will we ever cross the explanatory gap between our reductionist neuroanatomical knowledge and our everyday awareness of the qualities of our perceptions, thoughts, and feelings? Horgan's answer is no. He's no neo-Luddite, though--his aim is not to disillusion the public, not to reduce funding, but to address the hubris of the neuroscientists, evolutionary psychologists, and artificial-intelligence researchers who all proclaim a new golden age just around the corner thanks to an imminent grand unified theory of consciousness, a theory Horgan believes unlikely and far off at best. His clear, entertaining prose is more conversational than polemic, and his verbal portraits of luminaries such as Eric Kandel and Lewis Wolpert make for engrossing, thoughtful reading. Even if you disagree with him, as many neuroscientists do, his point of view is refreshing and challenging, and hence well worth consideration. --Rob Lightner

About this title

Review

What are the limits of self-knowledge? Acclaimed science writer John Horgan takes a penetrating look into the world of neuroscience in The Undiscovered Mind, a follow-up to his more general The End of Science. Already pessimistic about the long-term prospects for the grand endeavor of scientific progress, he finds even more reason for skepticism about the claims of those who study the brain and the mind. Will we ever cross the explanatory gap between our reductionist neuroanatomical knowledge and our everyday awareness of the qualities of our perceptions, thoughts, and feelings? Horgan's answer is no.

He's no neo-Luddite, though--his aim is not to disillusion the public, not to reduce funding, but to address the hubris of the neuroscientists, evolutionary psychologists, and artificial-intelligence researchers who all proclaim a new golden age just around the corner thanks to an imminent grand unified theory of consciousness, a theory Horgan believes unlikely and far off at best. His clear, entertaining prose is more conversational than polemic, and his verbal portraits of luminaries such as Eric Kandel and Lewis Wolpert make for engrossing, thoughtful reading. Even if you disagree with him, as many neuroscientists do, his point of view is refreshing and challenging, and hence well worth consideration. --Rob Lightner

About the Author

John Horgan is a freelance writer and author of The End of Science, a U.S. best-seller that has been translated into ten languages. His awards include the Science Journalism Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1992 and 1994) and the National Association of Science Writers Science-in-Society Award 1993). He has written for the New York Times, London Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Slate, Discover, The Sciences, and other publications in the United States and Europe. He was a staff writer at Scientific American from 1986 to 1997 and at IEEE Spectrum from 1983 to 1986. He graduated from Columbia University's School of Journalism in 1983. He lives in Garrison, New York, with his wife, Suzie Gilbert, a childrens' book author, and their two children.

Edition details

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0297842250
• ISBN 13: 9780297842255
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 325