What is morality? Where does it come from? And why do most of us heed its call most of the time? In "Braintrust," neurophilosophy pioneer Patric... read full description
reviews
Oct 09, 2011
Bruce
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This is a brilliant work that accomplishes what the subtitle declares. In the introduction Churchland quickly deals with the notion that the project of the book is misbegotten because it falls prey to the naturalistic fallacy. She shows how the naturalistic fallacy has been misunderstood and that in fact her project follows in Hume’s footsteps. She concludes:
Naturalism, while shunning stupid inferences, does nevertheless find the roots of morality in how we are, what we care More...
Naturalism, while shunning stupid inferences, does nevertheless find the roots of morality in how we are, what we care More...
Jun 24, 2011
Jorge
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Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality by Patricia S. Churchland
"Braintrust..." is the latest book from self proclaimed neurophilosopher Patricia S. Churchland, a fitting term for the accomplished author and philosopher. This book is about answering questions regarding moral values from a neuroscientist's point of view. Churchland uses a scientific sound approach to not only seek such answers but to tell us what we don't know about the brain and its relation More...
"Braintrust..." is the latest book from self proclaimed neurophilosopher Patricia S. Churchland, a fitting term for the accomplished author and philosopher. This book is about answering questions regarding moral values from a neuroscientist's point of view. Churchland uses a scientific sound approach to not only seek such answers but to tell us what we don't know about the brain and its relation More...
May 22, 2011
Josh
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Churchland's book is everything that the modern philosophy text should be. It is accessible, it is technically proficient and it straddles the great border between abstract philosophical theory and scientific fact. I must admit that I expected, from what I knew of Churchland, for there to be much more focus on neuroscience. There is plenty of discussion of brains, but it is well balanced with a qualification of historical philosophy and current events, a mark of a great writer, I think.
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Jun 13, 2011
Felix
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Whether morality arises from the brain stem or from the development of interaction with others the fine line is constantly being analysed by both scientists and philosophers alike.Patricia Churcland's contribution is to try and use the caring process and the development of the child and their brains as a way of integrating the philosophy of morality and the science of neurology.Does it work?It depends on where you stand.I enjoyed this for the courage of argument presented, although there are som
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Oct 23, 2011
Publisher: http://bit.ly/r0Xr8Z
"In Braintrust, neurophilosophy pioneer Patricia Churchland argues that morality originates in the biology of the brain. She describes the "neurobiological platform of bonding" that, modified by evolutionary pressures and cultural values, has led to human styles of moral behavior. The result is a provocative genealogy of morals that asks us to reevaluate the priority given to religion, absolute rules, and pure reason in accounting for th
"In Braintrust, neurophilosophy pioneer Patricia Churchland argues that morality originates in the biology of the brain. She describes the "neurobiological platform of bonding" that, modified by evolutionary pressures and cultural values, has led to human styles of moral behavior. The result is a provocative genealogy of morals that asks us to reevaluate the priority given to religion, absolute rules, and pure reason in accounting for th
May 19, 2011
Andrew
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I'll confess to skimming this rather than giving it a close read, but that's because it was just boring. To her credit, Churchland gives the reader exactly what the subtitle promises, which in the end turns out to be either 'not much, really' or 'it depends', both of which are pretty boring. Now it may well be that neuroscience just doesn't have that much to tell us about morality, which is fine, and kudos to Churchland for her honesty. But it may also be that Churchland is the kind of writer
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May 29, 2011
Carolyn
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The thesis of this book, that morality arises out of biology, is both interesting and probable. I would have enjoyed a 10-page article describing it. This 200-page book provides Too Much Information for an average layman, from detailed brain anatomy and physiology to in-depth commentary on what various philosophers have said about morality.
Jun 04, 2011
Eric J
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Knowing the evolutionary and biological basis for morality is essential for anyone interested in the subject of ethics, at least so far as science currently understands it. Churchland's book is a good introduction to the topic for non-technical readers.
Oct 31, 2011
Leesy
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I read this to find out about the neuroscience. The book started out well, but started to bore me midway. It was not concise and fell into repetition or went into meandering digressions on moral philosophy. Not enough science, too much philosophy.
May 06, 2011
ccdempsey
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I like Churchland's work and her writing. Braintrust is much more readable than her Neuroscience of Philosophy title from years ago.
May 16, 2011
MacArthur winner. Pioneer of Neurophilosophy, what the brain tells us about the mind.
Jan 14, 2012
Ginger
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Look for my interview of Patricia Churchland on episode 81 of the Brain Science Podcast.
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