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Title: Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain
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Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
List Price: $15.00
Our Price: $7.97
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| Customer Reviews: |
| Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Penguin (Non-Classics) Wonderful Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience. | | This book served as my introduction to the world of cognitive neuroscience. Written in a hybrid story-explanation form unique to Damasio, this book shows how much is known about how our mind operates and how we know it. As indicated in the title, it also describes a more realistic view of mental processes than the old model, suggested by Descartes, that separated emotion and reason -a model that we must let go of if we want to comprehend ourselves. | | Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Penguin (Non-Classics) Damasio is wonderful to read! | | While some parts of this book are repetitive, it is worth reading over and over. | | Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Penguin (Non-Classics) The Three Amigos - Brain, Body and Mind | | If you are curious about how connected the brain, body and mind are without all the scientific and clinical gargon this book is it. Dr. Damasio has researched the workings of the frontal area of the brain for over 30 years and the talent to explain it well, plain and simple. Beware, this book will possibly enhance interest and knowledge of the brain to impress in casual conversations. The brain continues mystify researchers and scientist. A very good read. | | Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Penguin (Non-Classics) Hard to maintain interest | | I bought this book thinking it would be a good read about exploring the mind, emotions, and reasoning (hence the title). The first chapter starts out interesting but it goes downhill after that. I don't mind the author's ideas but I found his writing very obtuse and hard to follow at times. He could have made this book more interesting to the average reader. | | Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Penguin (Non-Classics) Fun at times, but not the greatest writing | I enjoyed reading this book. It sheds light to a layperson about some of the inner workings of the human mind and how it functions in our every day decision-making and "background" feeling state. It also presents a compelling case for emotions and body-states being intimately tied to rationality.
Damasio clearly cares for his lay-public and I do not get the sense that he is talking down to anyone. However, the book is a slow read if you want to comprehend everything and I believe this is not because of the subject matter but because of the unclear writing style. Also, Damasio makes frequent references to other authors and researchers without elaboration. While this may be fine for readers who are well-versed in this field, a layperson is not very likely to go and seek out all of the references that pop up throughout the text; some brief summaries would be helpful.
I also got the sense that Damasio was repeating things and that the text could have been reduced significantly. If that was combined with clearer writing, this could have been a fantastic book.
Overall, it was a decent and thought-provoking, if sometimes frustrating, read. | | Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Penguin (Non-Classics) Product Description | | Since Descartes famously proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am," science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person’s true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended, until recently, to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes’ Error in 1995. Antonio Damasio—"one of the world’s leading neurologists" (The New York Times)—challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. In this wondrously engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behavior. |
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