On Being Human

Book blurb: "Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique" by Michael Gazzaniga

On the one hand I find neuroscience fascinating, on the other hand I find it quite 'iffy'... The prospect for the human mind being able to study itself and reach thorough and accurate conclusions is quite problematic, both philosophically and methodologically. Still, there is great fun in trying, or in reading about those who do.

Michael Gazzaniga is one of the leading neuroscientists in the country and anything he writes is worth a look. His latest offering, "Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique," is an especially wide-ranging overview of the current state of knowledge in neuroscience. It's often said that the human brain, moreso than outer space or the ocean depths, is truly the 'last frontier' for science. This book appears to try and chart a course across that frontier for the layperson.

A NY Times review of the book is here.
And a more critical online review from Salon here.

An interview from American Scientist magazine with Gazzaniga here.

NPR program featuring Gazzaniga here.

and more here on the Edge website:

http://edge.org/3rd_culture/gazzaniga08/gazzaniga08_index.html

Finally, his Amazon-listed books here.