Who's in charge? : free will and the science of the brain

Resource Information

The work Who's in charge? : free will and the science of the brain represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Grosse Pointe Public Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Audio, Nonmusical, Sounds, Music.

Label

Who's in charge? : free will and the science of the brain

Title remainder

free will and the science of the brain

Statement of responsibility

Michael S. Gazzaniga

Creator

• Gazzaniga, Michael S

Contributor

• hoopla digital
• Larkin, Pete

Subject

• Brain
• Cognitive neuroscience

Language

eng

Summary

A powerful orthodoxy in the study of the brain has taken hold in recent years: Since physical laws govern the physical world and our own brains are part of that world, physical laws therefore govern our behavior and even our conscious selves. Free will is meaningless, goes the mantra; we live in a "determined" world.Not so, argues the renowned neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga in this thoughtful, provocative book based on his Gifford Lectures—one of the foremost lecture series in the world dealing with religion, science, and philosophy. Who's in Charge? proposes that the mind, which is somehow generated by the physical processes of the brain, "constrains" the brain just as cars are constrained by the traffic they create. Writing with what Steven Pinker has called "his trademark wit and lack of pretension," Gazzaniga shows how determinism immeasurably weakens our views of human responsibility; it allows a murderer to argue, in effect, "It wasn't me who did it—it was my brain." Gazzaniga convincingly argues that even given the latest insights into the physical mechanisms of the mind, there is an undeniable human reality: We are responsible agents who should be held accountable for our actions, because responsibility is found in how people interact, not in brains.An extraordinary book that ranges across neuroscience, psychology, ethics, and the law with a light touch but profound implications, Who's in Charge? is a lasting contribution from one of the leading thinkers of our time

Accompanying matter

technical information on music

Cataloging source

Midwest

Dewey number

612.8/233

Form of composition

not applicable

Format of music

not applicable

Literary text for sound recordings

other

PerformerNote

Read by Pete Larkin

Target audience

adult

Transposition and arrangement

not applicable