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bywell's review
4.0
Can I interest you in some scientific reading about the functions of our brains written by a renowned neuroscientist? INCOGNITO, the Secret Workings of the Brain by David Eagleman is a very readable book about the inner workings of our minds. How we interpret what we see and hear, how our memories are stored away and retrieved, and how we experience time are just the tip of the iceberg of topics covered. Eagleman declares that the brain is the most complex material we've discovered in the universe. He tells us how most of what we do and think and feel is not under our conscious control and that our brains know so much more than we are capable of accessing!
inquiry_from_an_anti_library's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Is This An Overview?
Thoughts change through physical modifications of the brain. Changing the brain physically, changes how the brain interprets information. The brain seeks information only when needed, to obtain knowledge useful during the circumstance. Information might be present, but the brain will not see the information until concentration is used. Observing only what is needed to be known, not more. The brain gathers information and directs behavior, but the individual is rarely conscious. The brain runs on automatic responses, habits. Conscious awareness comes about when the individual’s expectations are violated. Consciousness is used when dealing with novel tasks, to resolve problems not faced before, which uses more energy than similar tasks that the individual has dealt with before.
The World Is Composed Of Subjective Experiences?
Different species have different umwelts, different ways they engage with and perceive reality. Even within species, different brains uniquely determine what they perceive, what they are capable of perceiving. Reality is more subjective than is understood. Reality is actively constructed by the brain, rather than passively recorded.
Do You Trust Your Senses?
The brain spends a lot of effort and energy disambiguating information entering the senses, such as eyes. The brains fill in missing information from eyes. The individual perceives not what is there, but what the brain tells the individual. People are not seeing rich details or aware of most information that enters the eyes. The brain has change blindness, as seeing change requires attention that takes energy and effort. Senese cannot be trusted, as they can make the individual believe things that are not true.
The Brain Is A Team Of Rivals?
The brain has competitive rivals. Some parts prefer gratifications, others long-term outcomes. A conflict between emotions and rational system. Feelings have been adjusting decisions, such as making wrong behavior feel bad. Emotions and rationality are needed for appropriate behavior.
Caveats?
This is an introductory book on how the brain processes information. Making overt what the brain hides from the individual. The brain is complex, with much still not understood. What still needs to be researched is how much free will there is, for much of how the brain processes information is not independent of the various conditions and sources that cause certain decisions.
katykelly's review
4.0
This makes a good audio choice, lots of short chapters and anecdotes covering the brain, consciousness and other related topics.
Some of this was new to me, some familiar. I enjoyed listening (though I did find the author repeated himself a lot, summing up with the exact same phrases he'd used earlier, much more obvious in a narrated audiobook).
The opening chapters about the size of the universe were the most stunning moments for me. But there were lots of fascinating stories about the brains' of individuals, historically and currently, and cases of how particular situations have caused us to look differently at, say, blame and mental illness.
It's not one I'll be able to recall much of later, apart from a few key stories and facts, but it is a worthwhile read, if you're interested in your own biology.
Some of this was new to me, some familiar. I enjoyed listening (though I did find the author repeated himself a lot, summing up with the exact same phrases he'd used earlier, much more obvious in a narrated audiobook).
The opening chapters about the size of the universe were the most stunning moments for me. But there were lots of fascinating stories about the brains' of individuals, historically and currently, and cases of how particular situations have caused us to look differently at, say, blame and mental illness.
It's not one I'll be able to recall much of later, apart from a few key stories and facts, but it is a worthwhile read, if you're interested in your own biology.
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating book about the brain and all of its secrets. I learned quite a bit about the odd quirks and idiosyncrasies that cause unusual or amazing behavior in people, and some amazing things that the brain does every day that we completely take for granted. I've always been a sucker for hearing the results of scientific studies that prove different curious facts about people's behavior that only makes sense when it is broken down the right way. This book is perfect for others who enjoy this type of thing!
libellum_aphrodite's review against another edition
2.0
The first half or so read like a grab bag of vaguely interesting, but not very memorable, articles about the human brain (vision, gut decisions, automatic versus conscious actions, various disorders, dreams). The second half became much more memorable when Eagleman skied right down the slippery slope of the brain, free will, criminals, and culpability: from weird brain issues can cause formerly law-abiding folks to commit terrible deeds, to no criminal can really be held at fault for a crime, as brain chemistry ultimately dictates everything, straight into overhauling the entirely of sentencing to account for this.
The last chapter was spent almost in entirety backpedaling those free will assertions with all the caveats to what we have yet to understand about the brain and consciousness. These acknowledgements were too little, too late for me, following some pretty bombastic claims which brought the movie Gattaca [destiny according to genes, minus the eugenics part] to mind. It seems sane to use what we know to better rehabilitate people, but we don't understand enough to validate big bold statements like no one is really responsible for their actions. We may not get to choose our circumstances, which may indeed include chemical imbalances or tumors or genetic predispositions, but should have the opportunity to exceed (or waste) them.
My opinion versus Eagleman's aside, the book had much wanting in terms of structure. Eagleman fails to connect all his content clearly towards the free will discussion or acknowledge the gaps and counter arguments throughout, instead giving us random brain stories --> big free will statement --> "by the way" vague acknowledgement of complexity and unknowns.
The last chapter was spent almost in entirety backpedaling those free will assertions with all the caveats to what we have yet to understand about the brain and consciousness. These acknowledgements were too little, too late for me, following some pretty bombastic claims which brought the movie Gattaca [destiny according to genes, minus the eugenics part] to mind. It seems sane to use what we know to better rehabilitate people, but we don't understand enough to validate big bold statements like no one is really responsible for their actions. We may not get to choose our circumstances, which may indeed include chemical imbalances or tumors or genetic predispositions, but should have the opportunity to exceed (or waste) them.
My opinion versus Eagleman's aside, the book had much wanting in terms of structure. Eagleman fails to connect all his content clearly towards the free will discussion or acknowledge the gaps and counter arguments throughout, instead giving us random brain stories --> big free will statement --> "by the way" vague acknowledgement of complexity and unknowns.
rsr143's review
5.0
There are many books about neuroscience out there, but this one is particularly fascinating. Do you think you are a stable personality from birth to death? It turns out who we think we are is very different than we think. This book will help you understand that the sense of self we come to be familiar with, is an illusion. The brain functions like a team of rivals. Our DNA and biology have a far greater sway over us than we think. Our environment also plays a part. We are not the real arbiters of our destiny. It’s a much more complex situation. The implications for this are dramatic, in terms of how we penalize and rehabilitate criminals, and also in how we relate to ourselves in the universe.