To many, the brain is the seat of personal identity and autonomy. But the way we talk about the brain is often rooted more in mystical conceptions of the soul than in scientific fact. This blinds us to the physical realities of mental function. We ignore bodily influences on our psychology, from chemicals in the blood to bacteria in the gut, and overlook the ways that the environment affects our behavior, via factors varying from subconscious sights and sounds to the weather. As a result, we alternately overestimate our capacity for free will or equate brains to inorganic machines like computers. But a brain is neither a soul nor an electrical network: it is a bodily organ, and it cannot be separated from its surroundings. Our selves aren't just inside our heads—they're spread throughout our bodies and beyond. Only once we come to terms with this can we grasp the true nature of our humanity.
Cosmic Bullsh*t : A Guide to the Galaxy's Worst Life Hacks
Chris Ferrie
audiobookA Planet of Viruses
Carl Zimmer
audiobookOn the Origin of Tepees: The Evolution of Ideas (and Ourselves)
Jonnie Hughes
bookWhat's Gotten Into You : The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner
Dan Levitt
audiobookAncient Egypt - Light Of The World, Volume 2
Gerald Massey
bookThe Thing with Feathers
Noah Strycker
audiobookAt the Water's Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea
Carl Zimmer
bookGifts of the Crow
Tony Angell, John Marzluff
audiobookAncestral Journeys
Jean Manco
audiobookParasites
Scott L. Gardner, Judy Diamond, Gabor Racz
audiobookUnderstanding the Brain : From Cells to Behavior to Cognition
John E. Dowling
audiobookMother Nature Is Trying to Kill You : A Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World
Dan Riskin
book