The Brain: The Story of You

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Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. Suddenly, I awoke, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming that I am a man.” The” Each of us is on our own trajectory – steered by our genes and our experiences – and as a result every brain has a different internal life. Brains are as unique as snowflakes. David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University. His scientific research is published in journals from Science to Nature, and he is also the author of the internationally bestselling books Sum and Incognito. He is the writer and presenter of the companion BBC television series The Brain.

The Brain The Story Of You ( PDFDrive ) - Archive.org The Brain The Story Of You ( PDFDrive ) - Archive.org

An intellectual thrill-ride. Plus, Eagleman isn’t merely a brilliant guide, he can turn a phrase, too.” – Newsday The writing in the book proper consists of scientific info combined with historical case studies. This is also a format that I feel really works in books, and it worked in this presentation, as well.Having read Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by the author (a quirky look at possible after-death scenarios - nothing to do with science!), I knew Eagleman was a gifted writer. It seems that he is a neuroscientist as well. And when two such talents combine in one person, a book like this is what we get.

The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman Editions of The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman

Copiii din aceste centre erau tinuti in patuturi, fara nici o stimulare senzoriala. Ei nu erau tinuti in brate si nimeni nu se juca cu ei. Desi nevoile primare le erau satisfacute (erau hraniti, spalati si imbracati) copiii dadeau semne ca au creierul subdezvoltat: un coeficient de inteligenta intre 60 si 80 (media este 80-120), limbaj insuficient dezvoltat, control slab al impulsurilor. dificultati in mentinerea atentiei. All the experiences in your life- from single conversations to your broader culture- shape the microscopic details of your brain. Neurally speaking, who you are depends on where you've been. Your brain is a relentless shape-shifter, constantly rewriting its own circuitry- and because your experiences are unique, so are the vast detailed patterns in your neural networks. Because they continue to change your whole life, your identity is a moving target; it never reaches an endpoint.” In the course of his investigations, Eagleman guides us through the world of extreme sports, criminal justice, facial expressions, genocide, brain surgery, gut feelings, robotics, and the search for immortality. Strap in for a whistle-stop tour into the inner cosmos. In the infinitely dense tangle of billions of brain cells and their trillions of connections, something emerges that you might not have expected to see in there: you.Includes interesting stories. The story of Charles Whitman is quite enlightening with major repercussions on a society that values evidence. Eagleman concludes with a fascinating exploration of the way in which we might use technology to enhance our bodies and lengthen our lives. While it may not be apparent to us, we have already begun to use technology to enhance what our bodies can do. For example, cochlear implants, which provide those who are deaf with a sense of hearing, are a way in which we have shown that our brains and technology can work together. While the human brain cannot be explained entirely by a computer model, Eagleman explores how human-like robots, brain simulations, and attempts to “upload” our brains may all contribute to an understanding of the brain, and of how we can use technology to preserve ourselves for a long time. Our drive to come together into groups yields a survival advantage — but it has a dark side. For every in-group, there must exist at least one outgroup Genocide is only possible when dehumanization happens on a massive scale, and the perfect tool for this job is propaganda: it keys right into the neural networks that understand other people, and dials down the degree to which we empathize with them.” Even before they can walk or talk, babies have the tools to make judgments about others. The brain comes with inborn instincts to detect who’s trustworthy, and who isn’t

BBC Four - The Brain with David Eagleman BBC Four - The Brain with David Eagleman

Author David Eagleman is an American neuroscientist, writer, and science communicator. He teaches neuroscience at Stanford University and is CEO and co-founder of Neosensory, a company that develops devices for sensory substitution. As Harris puts it, by shutting down the systems that see the homeless person as a fellow human, one doesn’t have to experience the unpleasant pressures of feeling bad about not giving money. In other words, the homeless have become dehumanised: the brain is viewing them more like objects and less like people. As Harris explains: “If you don’t properly diagnose people as human beings, then the moral rules that are reserved for human people may not apply.” Neuroscientist David Eagleman argues that the brain is like a field of battle: subject to conflicting drives and impulses that we are only just beginning to understand. He talks to Sally Davies, FT Weekend’s digital editor, about the nature of consciousness, why human beings are hardwired for xenophobia, and how technology can extend our cognitive powers. When people watched this short film and were asked to describe what they saw, you might expect that they described simple shapes moving around. After all, it’s just a circle and two triangles changing co-ordinates. But that’s not what the viewers reported. They described a love story, a fight, a chase, a victory. Heider and Simmel used this animation to demonstrate how readily we perceive social intention all around us. Eagleman gets the writing here off to a great start, with a well-written intro. He's got an excellent writing style that is both interesting and engaging. The book is very readable.

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And since consciousness is the product of collaboration of billions of parts of our brain and body in the right way and direction, do you think the earth or universe could have a consciousness of it's own?

The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman | Goodreads

Considers important philosophical questions. Does the idea of an immaterial soul reconcile with neuroscientific evidence? Find out.

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It’s not just illness or chemicals that change us: from the movies we watch to the jobs we work, everything contributes to a continual reshaping of the neural networks we summarize as us." The formatting of the book is also very well done. It is broken into well-defined chapters; each chapter into blurbs of writing with relevant headers at the top. I really like books formatted in this manner, and find it optimal for absorbing the information presented. In the fine tradition of Carl Sagan, Eagleman shows that science is captivating without hyped embellishment, and, if you pay attention, you’ll find yourself immersed in it.” – Forbes It simply means I've been reading a lot of brain books in recent years (and writing articles about the research), so I was eager to see how one of my favorite neuroscientists, David Eagleman, did on this companion book to his PBS series.