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ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY
HUMANIST GALAXY
OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS
DAVID EAGLEMAN
May 14, 2022
INCOGNITO:
The Secret Lives of the Brain
by David Eagleman.
Pantheon, 2011 (290 pages)
Quote = "What is the unconscious mind?... Neuroscientist David Eagleman looks into the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries." (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from the publisher's summary)
Quote = "Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, this book is a thrilling vivid exploration of the mind and all its usually inaccessible contradictions." (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from the publisher's blurb)
BOOK OUTLINE
Note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages
1) THERE'S SOMEONE IN MY HEAD, BUT IT'S NOT ME (1-
2) THE TESTIMONY OF THE SENSES — What is experience really like? (20-
3) MIND — The gap (5-
4) THE KINDS OF THOUGHTS THAT ARE THINKABLE (75-
5) THE BRAIN IS A TEAM OF RIVALS (101-
6) WHY BLAMEWORTHINESS IS THE WRONG QUESTION (151-
7) LIFE AFTER THE MONARCHY (193-
APPENDIX (225-
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (227-
NOTES (229-
BIBLIOGRAPHY (255-
INDEX (281-
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY, SUMMARY,
AND BOOK DESCRIPTION
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY = David Eagleman received undergraduate degrees in British and American literature from Rice University in 1993. He received a PhD in neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in 1998, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute. He is currently a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He has written several nonfiction books including Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Unconscious Brain, Live-Wired: The Dynamically Reorganizing Brain, and Cognitive Neuroscience. He has also written a work of fiction entitled Sum: Tales from the Afterlives. His articles have appeared in numerous publications including Science, Nature, the New York Times, Discover Magazine, Slate, Wired, and New Scientist. (Bowker Author Biography) – Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
SUMMARY = If the conscious mind — the part you consider to be you — is just the tip of the iceberg, what is the rest doing? In this sparkling and provocative new book, the renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries.
BOOK DESCRIPTION = Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, this book is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions. Why can your foot move halfway to the brake pedal before you become consciously aware of danger ahead? Why do you hear your name being mentioned in a conversation that you did not think you were listening to? What do Ulysses and the credit crunch have in common? Why did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant in 1916? Why are people whose names begin with J more likely to marry other people whose names begin with J? Why is it so difficult to keep a secret? And how is it possible to get angry at yourself — who, exactly, is mad at whom?
EDITORIAL BOOK REVIEWS
BOOKLIST REVIEW = Neuroscientist Eagleman wants us to take a look inside our own heads. We know there's a brain there, and we know some things about what it does, but there is a lot of unexplored territory, too. We know we think and imagine, but how do we do these things? Why will we perceive things like photographs, say, or events one way under a certain set of circumstances but a different way in different circumstances? What is the unconscious mind, and how does it work? You might as well know up front that there aren't any concrete answers here; this is one of those books where the exploration is the adventure and the journey its own reward. Written in clear, precise language (even when the author is tackling some seriously complicated stuff), the book is sure to appeal to readers with an interest in psychology and the human mind, but it will also please people who just want to know, with a little more clarity, what is going on inside their own skulls.-- Pitt, Davi. BooklistDistributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
CHOICE REVIEW = Fascinating things are going on in neuroscience, and the educated public knows that. Writing a book about the brain that nonspecialists can understand (without taking a course in neuroscience) is difficult. With this book, Eagleman (neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine) joins Oliver Sacks, V. S. Ramachandran, and Antonio Damasio in the small circle of people who have done just that. Eagleman's main theme is that what one calls "me," the conscious mind, is only the tip of the iceberg, and that most of the interesting and important things the brain does are inaccessible to the brain's "owner."
This is not a novel idea, as it is something every cognitive scientist knows. What Eagleman does is explain the idea to the neophyte through discussion of dozens of fascinating, engaging examples. In so doing, he brings the unconscious mind to light much as Oliver Sacks has illuminated clinical neurology in his books. Eagleman's prose is vivid and, more important, accessible. No wonder the book has found a place on the best-seller list of The New York Times. The book will be an engaging resource for non-majors, and professors might improve their craft by taking up some of Eagleman's examples. SUMMING UP: Highly recommended. Lower-and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. -- S. W. Horst Wesleyan University
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS
[1] A stunning exploration of the 'we' behind the 'I'. Eagleman reveals, with his typical grace and eloquence, all the neural magic tricks behind the cognitive illusion we call reality. – Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide.
[2] Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness. – New Yorker
[3] Your mind is an elaborate trick, and mastermind David Eagleman explains how the trick works with great lucidity and amazement. Your mind will thank you. – Kevin Kelly, Wired Magazine
[4] A fun read by a smart person for smart people …it will attract a new generation to ponder their inner workings. – New Scientist
[5] Written in clear, precise language, the book is sure to appeal to readers with an interest in psychology and the human mind, but it will also please people who just want to know, with a little more clarity, what is going on inside their own skulls. – Booklist
REMEMBER ALWAYS:
You Are Your Adaptable Memory!
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