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Author: Visit Amazon's Antonio R. Damasio Page
ISBN : 1879371898
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From Publishers Weekly
Neurologist Damasio's refutation of the Cartesian idea of the human mind as separate from bodily processes draws on neurochemistry to support his claim that emotions play a central role in human decision making.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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From Library Journal
The idea that the mind exists as a distinct entity from the body has profoundly influenced Western culture since Descartes proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am." Damasio, head of neurology at the University of Iowa and a prominent researcher on human brain function, challenges this premise in a fascinating and well-reasoned argument on the central role that emotion and feelings play in human rationality. According to Damasio, the same brain structures regulate both human biology and behavior and are indispensable to normal cognitive processes. Damasio demonstrates how patients (his own as well as the 19th-century railroad worker Nicholas Gage) with prefrontal cortical damage can no longer generate the emotions necessary for effective decision-making. A gifted scientist and writer, Damasio combines an Oliver Sack-like reportage with the presentation of complex, theoretical issues in neurobiology. Recommended for wide purchase.
Laurie Bartolini, Legislative Research, Springfield, Ill.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Books with free ebook downloads available Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain Audio Cassette – Abridged Free Download
- Audio Cassette
- Publisher: Publishing Mills; Abridged edition (June 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1879371898
- ISBN-13: 978-1879371897
- Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain Audio Cassette – Abridged Free Download
Damasio's book will be somewhat tough sledding for the non-specialist, but it's still a good book and worth sticking with to the end. Using Descartes's famous dictum as a departure point, and through a discussion of current theory and detailed case studies, he demonstrates the intimate relationship between the brain, mind, and body.
This question has been pondered by many, from Descartes to William James to Morrissey, and more recently, Antonio Damasio. As a neuroscientist, I share Damasio's conviction that emotion is absolutely central to understanding the mind. Unfortunately, that is the extent of my sympathy for this book. Damasio takes this starting point, notes the correspondence between emotions and body states, and from it constructs his ill-conceived 'somatic marker hypothesis', casting his lot with the body-ruled mind.
This book fails on a number of levels. To begin with, it is almost unreadable. Such tangled and confused writing would never make it past the editing of any decent journal. It is not merely dull, it really obfuscates the issue unnecessarily. Thus, to the reader interested in Damasio's theory I suggest his published paper "The Somatic Marker Hypothesis and the Possible Functions of the Prefrontal Cortex", 1996, which can be found freely online.
My main objection to the theory is the excessive role that it gives the body in influencing brain states. Undoubtably, the brain is capable of sensing and being influenced by changes in the body state. However, Damasio gives this pathway a primary role in emotion. Presumably Damasio imagines a stimulus activating some part of the brain (e.g. amygdala), which then triggers an emotional body state, which in turn is observed by the brain, creating an emotional 'feeling'. While such feedback loops are possible, they would be incredibly inefficient - why wouldn't the amygdala just communicate the emotional state directly to other brain regions instead of relying on the 'somatic markers' of a body feedback loop? Damasio's view is not parsimonious, nor is it supported by much evidence.
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