BooksDirect

Description - The Man Who Wasn't There by Anil Ananthaswamy

Anil Ananthaswamy, an award-winning science journalist and author, offers an intimate look at the latest neuroscience of schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer's disease, ecstatic epilepsy, Cotard's' syndrome, out-of-body experiences, and other conditions - revealing the awesome power of the human sense of self. Extensive in-depth interviews venture into the lives of individuals who offer perspectives that will change how you think about who you are. These individuals all lost some part of what we think of as our self, but they then offer remarkable, sometimes heart-wrenching insights into what remains. One man cut off his own leg. Another became one with the universe. We are learning about the self at a level of detail that Descartes ('I think therefore I am') could never have imagined. Recent research into Alzheimer's illuminates how memory creates your narrative self by using the same part of your brain for your past as for your future. But wait, those afflicted with Cotard's syndrome think they are already dead; in a way, they believe that 'I think therefore I am not.' Who - or what - can say that? Neuroscience has identified specific regions of the brain that, when they misfire, can cause the self to move back and forth between the body and a doppelganger, or to leave the body entirely. So where in the brain, or mind, or body, is the self actually located? As Ananthaswamy elegantly reports, neuroscientists themselves now see that the elusive sense of self is both everywhere and nowhere in the human brain. The Man Who Wasn't There takes readers on an emotional, scientific, and intellectual journey, arriving at a new visceral understanding of something we have wondered about since human existed. Praise for The Man Who Wasn't There 'A compelling and entertaining look at the last untapped mystery, the true final frontier- the nature of our selves. Science journalism at its best.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organized Mind and This Is Your Brain on Music 'Stunning . . . poetic and incisive. Each of the patients is unique, special and incredible in revealing something special about the mind, whether healthy or fragile. Ananthaswamy discovers the elusive nature of the very idea of self and makes sense out of it. It is a remarkable achievement.' Michael Gazzaniga, author of Who's in Charge? and Tales from Both Sides of the Brain 'Ananthaswamy's remarkable achievement is to make sense of these unhappy individuals' otherness, while holding on to their human sameness. You'll come away enlightened and chastened, asking searching questions about who you are.' Nicholas Humphrey, Cambridge University, author of A History of the Mind 'Like Oliver Sacks, Ananthaswamy brings both erudition and sensitivity to his narrative so that we learn as much, and maybe more, from his subjects as we do from the scientists we meet along the way . . . You'll emerge with renewed wonder about the simple experience of being you.' Anil Seth, University of Sussex, Editor-in-Chief, Neuroscience of Consciousness 'A wide range of engrossing (and many just plain weird) stories elegantly weaving together insights from psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience. An informative, exciting, and slightly creepy tour of some profound questions about human nature.' David Poeppel, Director, Max-Planck Institute and Professor of Psychology and Neural Science, NYU 'In this lucid and personable analysis by Ananthaswamy, the self appears an illusion, which nevertheless feels very real to most of us. Since no organism can do without this mental anchor, nature has found a way to concoct one for us.' Frans de Waal, author of The Bonobo and The Atheist 'If you like Oliver Sacks, you'll love this new work by Ananthaswamy.' Library Journal

Buy The Man Who Wasn't There by Anil Ananthaswamy from Australia's Online Independent Bookstore, BooksDirect.

Other Editions - The Man Who Wasn't There by Anil Ananthaswamy

A Preview for this title is currently not available.