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The Biological Mind

The Biological Mind

By Alan Jasanoff

How Brain, Body, And Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are. Basic Books, 2018.

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20 mins read

17 Key insights

A brief summary of The Biological Mind

A thought-provoking look at common assumptions about the essential role of the human brain and the separation between mind and body, urging us to recognize that the biological mind is intimately connected to the body and the environment around it.

Key insights in The Biological Mind

1
What do you get from this book? A new perspective on the brain and the way it interacts with the world
2
The cerebral mystique idealizes the brain, but our brains are not mysterious and all-powerful
3
The brain is a physical, messy organ, but we still see it as an almost other-worldly entity
4
The idea that brains and computers are alike is common among scientists and in the popular imagination
5
The brain is portrayed as unbelievably complicated, but the huge numbers which quantify it aren’t always that relevant
6
Neuroimaging is a popular way of visualizing the brain, yet such images can be interpreted in many different ways
7
The brain and body work together to give us a sense of individuality; they cannot be separated
8
Physical illnesses have effects on the mind, and apparently mental processes emerge in the body through embodied cognition
9
It can seem like the brain acts on its own, simply responding to the environment—but there’s more to it
10
The brain responds instantly to changes in the environment, functioning in tune with the world around it
11
The brain-centered view of human behavior has far-reaching social implications and disregards external forces
12
Defining mental illnesses as brain disorders creates a new sort of stigma and ignores potentially useful treatments
13
The cerebral mystiques promotes an unrealistic view of the future of brain technology
14
Jasanoff imagines his own existence as a brain in a vat, painting a bleak picture of life without a body
15
Summary of the key insights
16
Selected critiques in brief
17
FInal word

Who should read The Biological Mind

Fans of neuroscience • psychologists and mental health professionals • philosophy students • anyone fascinated by the brain

About the author of The Biological Mind

Alan Jasanoff is known for his expertise and progressive research as an MIT professor of neurobiological engineering. He frequently writes about cognitive science and engineering and has been published in Nature, Forbes, and among other prestigious publications.

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Alan Jasanoff

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