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Brain Revolutions, Old and New

By loom on May 10, 2005.

Blogging will be light for a few days because my hard drive devoured itself last night. I just wanted to mention a couple brain-related items. First off, I've got a profile in today's New York Times of Michael Gazzaniga, one of the most fascinating people involved in science today. His research on the split minds of people with split brains would be fascinating enough, but now he's trying to use these insights to make sense of the confusing choices that bioethics now forces us to make. (Gazzaniga's a feisty member of the President's Council on Bioethics.)

For another take on the brain and our sense of who we are, let me also direct your attention to the paperback edition of Soul Made Flesh, which is due in bookstores in June and is already available on Amazon. It looks at the birth of neurology in the 1600s. If you think these are strange times, neurologically speaking, imagine an era when people thought the brain was no more capable of thought than a bowl of curds.

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Enjoyed your piece about Dr. Gazzaniga today!

Good to hear of the paperback edition of the Willis book. I've used it as a supplement to the textbook in an undergraduate course I teach on introductory physiological psychology. Students enjoyed it quite a bit and I'm sure the next class will appreciate using a paperback.

-Anthony
neuropsychological.blogspot.com

I loved the Gazzaniga article too, but I always thought both eyes were connected to both hemispheres. So now I'm confused.

Considering some recent events in Kansas, maybe some brains aren't "more capable of thought than a bowl of curds".

By Carl Buell (not verified) on 13 May 2005 #permalink

For those interested, this recent New York Times article is also on split-brain and related topics.

By Jason Malloy (not verified) on 14 May 2005 #permalink

Carl,

Excellent piece on Gazzaniga...part of me wanted to push him a bit more, but overall, I was just really happy to see such a smart gentleman getting the sunshine he deserves.

Who's next?

Zack