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As scientists continue to explore how the brain works, using ever
more sophisticated technology, it seems likely that new findings
will radically alter the traditional understanding of human nature.
One aspect of human nature that is already being questioned by
recent developments in neuroscience is free will. Do our decisions
arise from purely mechanistic processes? Is our feeling of
self-control merely an illusion created by our brains? If so, what
will become of free will and moral responsibility? These thorny
questions and many more are examined with great clarity and insight
in this engaging exploration of neuroscience's potential impact on
moral responsibility. The author delves into a host of fascinating
topics, including:
-the parts of the brain that scientists believe are involved in the
exercise of will
-what Parkinson's, Tourette's, and schizophrenia reveal about our
ability to control our actions
-whether a future of criminal behavior is determined by brain
chemistry
-how self-reflective consciousness may have evolved from a largely
deterministic brain
Using illustrative examples from philosophy, mythology, history,
and criminology, and with thorough discussions of actual scientific
experiments, the author explores the threat of neuroscience to
moral responsibility as he attempts to answer the question: Are we
truly in control of our actions?
Right now, someone in an artificial intelligence lab is fusing
silicon circuitry in an attempt to engineer the human mind. In a
hospital, a neurosurgeon is attempting to influence a patient's
emotions by firing electrical impulses into his brain. In a
classroom, a teacher is explaining how neurons in the brain
interact to generate thoughts, feelings, and decisions. The
question of where consciousness comes from and how it works is
likely the greatest mystery we face. Despite progress in our
knowledge of the brain, we still don't know how it allows us to do
things like enjoy a sunset, solve a math problem, or use our
imagination. For those of us who have ever thought about issues of
the mind or free will, these developments pose provocative
questions. What would happen if those mysterious processes could be
understood? Would a scientist be able to know everything about our
minds just from studying the systems in our brains? Could he
predict how we will think and act? After all, the brain is an organ
just like the heart or stomach, and scientists can figure out when
the heart will beat and when the stomach will release bile. If such
a thing could be accomplished, would that make me a machine? There
are those who approach this question from a technological
perspective. Someday, an engineer might be able to build a robot
with my memories, opinions, and behavior. Would that make me a
machine? This concise, lucid primer on neuroscience and philosophy
of mind takes the reader to the very depths of the mystery of
consciousness, exploring it through the eyes of key philosophers,
neuroscientists, and technologists. Avoiding jargon and
oversimplification, author Eliezer J. Sternberg illuminates
baffling questions of the brain, mind, and what it means to be
human.
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