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Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Touching a Nerve: Our Brains, Our Selves

Touching a Nerve: Our Brains, Our Selves

Paperback

PhilosophyMedical ReferenceAnatomy & Physiology

ISBN10: 0393349446
ISBN13: 9780393349443
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: Jul 1 2014
Pages: 306
Weight: 0.55
Height: 0.74 Width: 5.48 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
What happens when we accept that everything we feel and think stems not from an immaterial spirit but from electrical and chemical activity in our brains? In this thought-provoking narrative--drawn from professional expertise as well as personal life experiences--trailblazing neurophilosopher Patricia S. Churchland grounds the philosophy of mind in the essential ingredients of biology. She reflects with humor on how she came to harmonize science and philosophy, the mind and the brain, abstract ideals and daily life.

Offering lucid explanations of the neural workings that underlie identity, she reveals how the latest research into consciousness, memory, and free will can help us reexamine enduring philosophical, ethical, and spiritual questions: What shapes our personalities? How do we account for near-death experiences? How do we make decisions? And why do we feel empathy for others? Recent scientific discoveries also provide insights into a fascinating range of real-world dilemmas--for example, whether an adolescent can be held responsible for his actions and whether a patient in a coma can be considered a self.

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Philosophy