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Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique

Michael S. Gazzaniga

4.03 · Rating details · 2,573 ratings · 66 reviews

One of the world's leading neuroscientists explores how best to understand the human condition by examining the biological, psychological, and highly social nature of our species within the social context of our lives.

What happened along the evolutionary trail that made humans so unique? In his widely accessible style, Michael Gazzaniga looks to a broad range of studies to ...more

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Hardcover, 464 pages

Published June 24th 2008 by Ecco (first published 2008)

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May 16, 2008 Mark rated it it was amazing

Shelves: psychology, medicine

This is a brilliant overview of all the research work that has gone into deciding what makes human beings unique (if we are, but the evidence is strong that we are, among Earth's creatures).

It covers everything from the evolution of our social awareness and moral standards to the debate over whether intelligence must remain embodied -- that is, do you need a physical body to develop the kind of consciousness and intelligence that humans have? -- or whether it can be disassociated from the flesh This is a brilliant overview of all the research work that has gone into deciding what makes human beings unique (if we are, but the evidence is strong that we are, among Earth's creatures).

It covers everything from the evolution of our social awareness and moral standards to the debate over whether intelligence must remain embodied -- that is, do you need a physical body to develop the kind of consciousness and intelligence that humans have? -- or whether it can be disassociated from the flesh and incorporated into a computer or robot of some type (the Ray Kurzweil approach).

It also explores what role the arts play in human life and where they may have come from, in an evolutionary adaptive sense, and looks at the raging debate over how consciousness arises (one leading theory today is that our sense of self-awareness actually emerges from several different modules of the brain that supply different parts of it).

Gazzaniga, director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at UC-Santa Barbara, is an erudite and occasionally funny writer who seems to have consulted every relevant study under the sun, and footnotes them extensively.

As someone who regularly produces story ideas for myself and the rest of my newspaper, I found that I filled several small notebook pages with possible articles from ideas in this book. Just two: At Meiji University, Tohru Suzuki and his colleagues are developing humanoid robots that imitate human actions they observe, record the facial and vocal emotions humans are expressing and imitate them as well and can even tell when a human points to an object what emotional salience he attaches to it; Malcolm Donald, a theoretical neuroscientist, believes our language and culture came from our evolving fine motor control, because that is what enabled us to produce gestures, which were the forerunners of language, which is the bedrock of culture. And on and on.

If you are looking for one book that gives you a cook's tour of the human brain, this would be an excellent choice.

In his conclusion, Gazzaniga writes: "Maybe those people who see humans as only slightly different from the rest of the animals are right. Just like other animals, we are constrained by our biology. We may not have the capacity to be any better than their worst appraisal. But the ability to wish or imagine that we can be better is notable. No other species aspires to be more than it is. Perhaps we can be. Sure, we may be only slightly different, but then, some ice is only one degree colder than liquid water. Ice and water are both constrained by their chemical composition, but they are very different because of a phase shift."

And humans, he persuasively argues, have undergone a phase shift from their nearest primate relatives -- and may do so again in the future.

...more

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Aug 26, 2009 Elaine rated it it was ok

I have always enjoyed and benefited from Gazzaniga's works, both those written with Michael Sperry and those like Nature's Mind which he has done on his own. I fully expected to love this book as well, but it typifies all that is the worst in supposedly scientific exploration. What is good about this, and all his books, is that he presents studies that show where emotions, thinking, and language are localized in the human brain.

Because this book concerns itself specifically with the uniqueness I have always enjoyed and benefited from Gazzaniga's works, both those written with Michael Sperry and those like Nature's Mind which he has done on his own. I fully expected to love this book as well, but it typifies all that is the worst in supposedly scientific exploration. What is good about this, and all his books, is that he presents studies that show where emotions, thinking, and language are localized in the human brain.

Because this book concerns itself specifically with the uniqueness of the human brain, he cites research showing what parts of the brain are activated when certain knowledge or emotions are elicited. This much is fine. However, his conclusion is always that since the human brain shows such activation, that means it is unique, that no other animal shows such activation. Unfortunately, he does not cite any research that shows that other animals' brains don't show localized arousal when stimulated by given tasks. He seems not to have heard of the ethological and cognitive studies of non-human animals despitee their timeliness and prevalence.

Moreover, he, with no justification whatsoever, makes blanket statements like "dogs feel sympathy but they don't feel pity." How does he or anyone else know this? Dogs don't have words to express emotions, but their body language, vocalizations and behavior do express their feelings and often their thought processes. Since these behaviors are consistent throughout dogdom, we can justifiably interpret certain behaviors as evincing certain feelings. Gazzaniga says that dogs don't feel guilt or shame. They act guilty only to avoid being punished. However, dogs display markedly different stances and eye contact when they are afraid, when they are trying to placate a human (as when a beaten dog crawls on its stomach, with tail and head lowered), and when they have been caught misbehaving.

I have even had dogs act as if they didn't do what they did do. One example, a dog of mine was forbidden to get on the sofa, but did when I was at work. When she heard my key in the lock, she jumped off the sofa, and crawled under it, so when I entered the room, she would be coming from underneath the sofa, yawning and stretching. Not only did I hear her jump, but she left fur on the sofa and the sofa cushion was still warm to my touch. If I then said, "What did you do?" she would adopt the guilty stance, curled body, head lowered, peering out from lowered eyes as she maintained eye contact and moved slowly in a semicircle in front of me. Those behaviors only occur when a dog has knowingly violated rules. Isn't that guilt? Couldn't it also be shame? If not, what is it? It never occurs under other circumstances, and all of my dogs have behaved the same way only when they got caught violating rules.

It is interesting that Gazzaniga lists a variety of disciplines concerned with brain functioning, but omits linguistics. Yet, linguists were pioneers in such studies since they were and are concerned with how the brain processes and produces language. My own work in schizophrenic speech (see my Understanding Psychotic Speech caused major changes in psychiatry because I showed that a dysfunction in brain processes, not Freudian constructs, were responsible for the specific language deviations characteristic of this population.

Had Gazzaniga acknowledged linguistics, as well as neurolinguistics, he would have had the definitive answer to the uniqueness of the human brain. Linguists have known for more than a century that what makes humans human is language (see Chapter 1 in my book Language the Social Mirror, 4th ed.. Note, I wrote "language," not "communication"

Language is the specific multilayered, rule-governed, context-bound system which allows all humans speaking in any language to produce a potentially infinite number of utterances, and to convey the past,present, future, the possible, the impossible, the invisible as well as the visible, the concrete as well as the abstract. Moreover, unlike animal communication and paralinguistic human communication, languages change when the environment changes. All languages also allow individuals to change language, such as Dylan Thomas's the sweethearting cribs or Shakespeare's But me no buts. Of course, if Gazzaniga had looked at linguistics or neurolinguistics, he wouldn't have had a book to write. He also wouldn't have been able to claim that all language resides in the left hemisphere, the refutation of which I will spare you.

What makes this book especially reprehensible is that Gazzaniga knows better. This is a poorly researched potboiler. ...more

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Nov 10, 2008 Moody rated it really liked it

I wrote this paper for a girl once (English was her second language and she wore nice pants, so I did her a favor). It was on the biochemical nature of love. I learned about the physical components and the evolutionary benefits of affection. It wasn’t particularly in depth, but it gave me an outline of the machinery behind what people feel. And it took some mystery out of the experience of love, gave it a cold name in science. This kind of discovery doesn’t diminish the sensation, but it does re I wrote this paper for a girl once (English was her second language and she wore nice pants, so I did her a favor). It was on the biochemical nature of love. I learned about the physical components and the evolutionary benefits of affection. It wasn’t particularly in depth, but it gave me an outline of the machinery behind what people feel. And it took some mystery out of the experience of love, gave it a cold name in science. This kind of discovery doesn’t diminish the sensation, but it does remove some of the mysticism surrounding it, the kind that I like to believe in. So there’s a question to ask here: How much to do you really want to know? Sometimes with knowledge comes banality.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson spoke in town the other day. He told a story about brilliant men in the history of science who could reach into their minds and illuminate the dark parts of the universe, could invent new fields of science to serve their quest for truth, and create understanding where there had been none. These same men would reach the limits of their knowledge, their capacity to understand, and at that edge of comprehension would intuit an explanation from the information available at the time. They would use metaphysics, alchemy, and a host of other suitable institutions to fill in the large gaps of their ignorance. And at each step, the fog of God would be pushed back a little further and a little further until the border of knowledge was reached, and the need for something to fill up the dark unknown emerged once again.

This book pulls back a little more of the shroud, breaks our so unique personalities into a set of tiny molecules linked together in a series of chains that have been selected for over time to increase reproductive success. That’s it. There’s amazing complexity in this process, enough to merit wonder and awe, but in the end, it’s a chunk of cells trading electrical signals in concert. And brains are lazy. It’s a lazy organ that will do as little work as possible to achieve the desired result. This makes analytical thinking a difficult and a seldom engaged in task. We’ll allow the first plausible explanation that comports with our understanding of the world to satisfy the question. This book appeals to me in that way. It supports what I suspected before I started reading it. It gives a factual foundation to what I already believed. It’s why I picked up the book in the first place. But I acknowledge that there are alternative explanations, other possibilities out there. And the book is far from complete, much of it is educated guesswork. Our understanding of the human brain is in its infancy, and there are still great mysteries left to explore. There were leaps forward where there might not have been, brain size increases and the advances in human progress that accompanied them. Why and how? Beats me. Here’s what you get instead:

The book contains a wealth of information.
Did you know that 30% of chimps die from aggression? Or how about that in the Middle Ages animals could be charged, appointed lawyers, and tried in court for the crime of buggery? (Guilty animals were put to death, pitchers and catchers). I took copious notes to refer back to later. It’s the kind of book you tell people about while you’re reading it, whether they’re interested or not. It’s not the final word on the issues it takes up, it’s just another prism to view the world through and hopefully expand your understanding of it.

I read the final chapter on Artificial Intelligence first. It was the most interesting topic to me at the outset, and it didn’t disappoint. I had such a fun time, I continued at the beginning and went from there. I might recommend that approach for you too. Using the sci-fi doorway to get interested before plugging on to the dryer stuff.

It took me months to get through the whole thing. It’s dense much of the time, and a good deal of it was over my head, but he adds a laymen’s explanation in each section, and he’s often funny. The whole of the book is fascinating, rich with facts, and approachable.

MP - If you want I'll send you my notes or call me for a verbal tour of its highlights.
...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Book rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: evolution, neuroscience

Human by Michael S. Gazzaniga

Human is the fascinating book about what makes us uniquely human. Dr. Gazzaniga, a neuroscientist, uses his expertise in neuroscience and related fields to explain what makes human brains unique. This 464-page book is composed of the following four parts: 1. The Basics of Human Life, 2. Navigating the Social World, 3. The Glory of Being Human, and 4. Beyond Current Constraints.

Positives:

1. A very-accessible, enjoyable, educational and informative book.
2. This boo ...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Bob Nichols rated it did not like it

Gazzanigia writes about how humans are unique. But as all animal species are unique, what he is really saying is that humans are special. What makes us special is mind and our capacity for self-consciousness and capacity to control our animal natures. In making his case, the author does a good job of surveying the various scientific studies that are well known.

The author's second chapter asks the question, "Would a chimp make a good date?" This is intended to make his point that there are obviou ...more

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May 11, 2009 Cassandra Kay Silva rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychology-sociology, science

I am not sure if the author fully addressed his thesis in this book. He asserts to help the reader understand the nature of his own consciousness and what sets us apart, in terms of brain function from other species. It reads somewhat like a psychology lecture, going through different aspects of brain function and what is known at the time. He compares us to a handful of other species. Most notably chimps. I guess the "magic" of being human was lost in the text. The things that we are able to ac ...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Tom rated it liked it

There's a lot of good information crammed into this book. But that's sort of the problem, too. It all just feels kind of crammed together, lacking any appropriate cohesion. Gazzaniga will end each chapter by saying humans are/are not unique in regards to the topic at hand, sure, but there's still no feeling of continuity between the chapters. It's almost as if each chapter could just be its own separate little novella. Also, he's constantly trying to inject humor into almost every page, but it m ...more

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Mar 22, 2013 нєνєℓ ¢ανα rated it it was amazing

Excellent stuff and quite appealing logic from it! Captivating!

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Jun 07, 2015 Ami Iida rated it it was amazing

Shelves: neuroscience

the book's theme is 2what is humanity?"

Metacognition is important concept in neuroscience. ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 Buzdugan Alexandru rated it it was amazing

Well, this book surprised me in multiple ways. I wanted to learn in a nonformal way about the human brain, the processes that make us who we are, and all the mechanisms that help live our daily lives.

It turned out to be quite the big brain book, not in the way that is was difficult to understand but more in a way that it was difficult to cope with all the knowledge inside. The book is packed with quality content, ranging from humoristic comments about chimps making a good date to multiple studie ...more

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May 25, 2018 محمد الخواص rated it really liked it

Humans will sit behind a computer and try to figure out the meaning of life. Animals live life. the question is who is better off, the human or the animal?

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Feb 21, 2016 Sabrina rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, biology

Determined this year to read and learn from more non-fiction works, I picked this book up as it blended evolutionary biology and behavioural psychology which I was interested in.

Its prologue was succinct and stuffed full of interesting facts (such as the discovery that rats have metacognition). Throughout, Gazzaniga asserted his view very clearly: that although humans and animals share many similarities we are not the same, as our abilities are on a completely different scale and league to those

Determined this year to read and learn from more non-fiction works, I picked this book up as it blended evolutionary biology and behavioural psychology which I was interested in.

Through his writing Gazzaniga's distinctive personality can easily be seen in the form of his shining wittiness colouring the pages. One of my favourite quotes from this book illustrates this quite well, when questioning whether big brains are the cause of why we are unique - "If you think the answer is going to be found in the beginning of the first chapter, you are not using that big brain of yours" (pg. 16).

In addition, he really tried (and mostly succeeded) to appeal to readers new to this area of science and professional specialists alike. Caught in the middle, I appreciated the fine balance Gazzaniga struck between heavy explanations of every specialist term and the other extreme of breezing through expecting readers to understand him fully. He does this by using explanations that most people would easily understand, such as the example of catching a fugitive to illustrate how communication works in the brain's prefrontal cortex. Gazzaniga literally explains all the terms uncommon in non-scientific books, such as module in the context of neurology. One of my favourite explanations has to be of pyramidal cells (a type of neuron) in the cerebral cortex, where he uses the rather unconventional visual example of Hershey's Kisses to help readers understand how the cells fit together in columns in the brain. I actually brought Human back home over Easter, and my dad picked it up to take a look, scanned the first few pages, and was so captivated that after I left he began reading the Chinese translated version of this book, and finished it even before I did, moving on next to The Ethical Brain: The Science of Our Moral Dilemmas, also by Gazzaniga. A handy index at the back was also very convenient.

His concise definitions ensure that his writing stays focused, that it does not suddenly veer off on a tangent; therefore keeping his argument strong. If there is one thing my history teachers have taught me about writing argumentative essays, it is to never ever talk about anything unrelated to the core argument, as it disperses the impact of your words and decreases the 'punchiness' of the final conclusion.

I did find that it was a tough book to read, but it was also funny and interesting. Though I don't study neuroscience or behavioural psychology in class, the areas where it touched upon human evolution and the arguments surrounding Homo sapiens as the unique outcome from this process, helped deepen and flesh out my understanding of evolutionary biology. After reading this book, even in the shower when I think of behaviours certain people exhibit, such as checking mucus in their tissues after blowing their noses, I keep feeling that they are inextricably linked to evolution and natural selection, as this behaviour could very well have lingered due to mucus colour being a possible sign of whether a sinus infection is present. (I apologise for that gross example.)

Basically - good book.

...more

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May 26, 2013 William Schram rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, science, psychology

This book is quite good. It describes recent (circa 2008) developments in neurology, neuroscience, anthropology and other fields of interest to describe the differences between people and animals. It tries to answer the question of what makes human beings unique. Michael S. Gazzaniga describes most of the current theories and either tears them apart or supports them with evidence. Of course, this book is a bit old and neuroscience is pretty far on the edge of new science, so it is probably alrea ...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Paola rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012, science, pop-science

I find Gazzaniga a very engaging writer, even in textbook, and this volume is no exception. As the title states, what Gazzaniga is after is precisely what is that makes our special kind of primate human. Answering this question is by no means trivial, of course, and you need to know a lot about animals to navigate among what characteristics are uniquely human: is it empathy? or possessing a theory of mind? or is it enjoying art?

Gazzaniga goes over this skilfully and pleasantly - the only aspect ...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Andrea Patrick rated it it was amazing

If you read a lot of cognitive science, you see Gazzaniga's name all over the place, but this is the first of his books that I've read, and it's flat-out wonderful.

I learned a ton of interesting stuff about the brain, but the book is about more than just intelligence. Theory of mind, ethics, language and more are explored, and all in a very accessible style. Gazzaniga often explains things by giving voice to brain structures and other inanimate objects. I was thoroughly engaged by the whole boo ...more

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Mar 29, 2015 Ian Tymms rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teaching-and-learning, books-to-read-again, philosophy, favorites

There's a lot happened in cognitive neuroscience since I studied it 25 years ago. Gazzaniga's style may not be for everyone (judging from other reviews it's not), but it certainly works for me. He's got a nice mix of expertise and informality as he explains both what is known and what is speculated about and what this might mean for humanity's future. The most powerful take-away for me was a reminder of just how much of the clever functioning of the brain happens outside our conscious control. O ...more

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Nov 17, 2008 Brea Grant rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: people curious about themselves but not in a vain way

Recommended to Brea by: the new york times

i thought i already wrote a review for this but i guess not.

i really enjoyed this book - it's a science book but not too science-y so you don't have to put it down every few pages for a comic book break.
gazzaniga talks about how we are who were are compared to animals and explains things like gossip, in group/out group behavior, and doing each other favors with evolution.

good read! if you're feeling like a smarty pants.

...more

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Jul 11, 2015 Nicholas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: neuroscience

Definitely one of the most readable and informative books on neuroscience I've read,so far.The author draws together the findings of many researchers in the field and presents their core theories in a lively and accessible manner.If you haven't the time or inclination to read Damasio,Pinker or a host of other popular authors then this is the one to read. ...more

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Jul 30, 2008 Chrystal rated it liked it

Heard about this book an interview with the author on NPR. Piqued my curiosity.

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Apr 02, 2019 Hal Brodsky rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle

A little long winded on basic science, but in the second half of the book the author reports on studies and subjects with pathological brain defects, and suddenly the reader is presented with an insight into the human sole.... and it is unsettling indeed.
Let's just say that if you read this book with an open mind, it will change your outlook on the World and out place within it. ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 Tina rated it really liked it

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May 02, 2015 Sarah Mck rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, brain

For anyone heavily into neruo-psych and neurology. Skimmed most of it past half way. Enjoyable but certainly not a light read. Which isn't a bad thing, just wasn't what I was after. ...more

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Nov 18, 2017 Michael Anderson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: anthropology, psychology

Outstanding book, bringing together Biology, Neuroscience, and Anthropology to describe our unique Human behavior.

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Apr 24, 2018 Lysane Fréchette rated it it was amazing

A very good read for people who would like to know more about our brains.

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Mar 08, 2011 KC rated it liked it

Shelves: own

I picked up this book because I had heard of Michael Gazzaniga before, through my Honors Intro to Neuroscience class (yes, I was a neuroscience major!) and the premise of the book intrigued me. Are humans unique and distinct from all animals that came before us or are we merely on an evolutionary continuum with even more evolved species to follow us?

Gazzaniga believes that humans are unique and sets about convincing his audience through explaining what is known (and still not known) about differ I picked up this book because I had heard of Michael Gazzaniga before, through my Honors Intro to Neuroscience class (yes, I was a neuroscience major!) and the premise of the book intrigued me. Are humans unique and distinct from all animals that came before us or are we merely on an evolutionary continuum with even more evolved species to follow us?

Gazzaniga believes that humans are unique and sets about convincing his audience through explaining what is known (and still not known) about different cognitive processes in humans and animals, especially comparing us to non-human primates (i.e. monkeys and apes). Topics include language, art, and consciousness. An example of this is asking if animals produce or appreciate art. We know humans do, but why? What is the evolutionary function of art? How does it help us to survive?

Gazzaniga is able to cover many topics in this book to provide evidence for his pont. All of his facts are well referenced, so that interested readers can find the primary documents for the research (I even found a paper that he cited because I wanted to know more!). Gazzaniga's own research is also very interesting, he studies split brain patients, patients who have had their corpus callosum (the main fiber tract that allows the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate with each other); through his research, Gazzaniga is able to test what each hemisphere is responsible for doing and how important that communication between hemispheres is for an integrated self-awareness.

While I found many of Gazzaniga's points interesting, there were a few things I did not like about the writing in the book. Some parts went into very basic explanations of science (which is good for many readers without a science background!) but then other parts listed more scientific detail than necessary to make the point, which meant that some parts felt tedious. I read this book for the ideas that Gazzaniga postulated and to find out why he believed that humans are distinct, not to pretend that I was retaking functional neuroanatomy. While I have no problem with either basic scientific explanation or in-depth scientific reasoning, I felt that they didn't belong in the same book. Non-science readers can still read the book and understand most of Gazzaniga's point, there may just be a few parts that are best to skim if you want the ideas and not the explanations.

My favorite section was the last topic covered in the book, robots and artificial intelligence. I've never studied much computer science or robotics (nor do I want to), but I find it fascinating nonetheless. I liked that Gazzaniga brought in many perspectives on A.I., from believing that we will soon have human-like robots to the belief that we will never be able to create computers that act/behave/think/feel like humans. This section also included DNA therapy ideas and the ethic questions that necessarily go along with these therapies.

Overall, I enjoyed the ideas in this book and I learned many interesting facts (my favorite: monkeys have two tubes in their throat, one for eating and the other for breathing, which means that it is impossible for them to choke! Yet it was evolutionarily more advantageous for humans to combine the tubes, making it possible to choke, but allowing us to make all the sounds that we can make- which monkeys cannot). I recommend this book for anyone interested in neuroscience and human nature, regardless of science background, but with the understanding that it is not necessary to understand every point if you don't have a biology or neuroscience foundation ...more

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Aug 09, 2019 Mamace rated it it was amazing

This book is really awesome.

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Dec 22, 2015 Gregg SAPP rated it really liked it

Neuroscientist and prolific science popularizer Michael Gazzaniga examines the biological, cultural, psychological and technological features of homo sapiens that, individually or collectively, define human beings as being unique among species. The question arises: do the things that make us human differ in kind, or just degree from comparable qualities found among our animal brethren (especially primates). After all, chimps share 97% of our DNA. Several primates, as well as even some insect spe ...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Eric Connelly rated it liked it

Shelves: brain-works, non-fiction

So far this book is very easy to read (big plus for non-fiction books) and does not assume any expertise of the reader (something I also really like). Gazzaniga describes many interesting experiments and traits of the human brain/psychology, which of course is stuff I love. And I think he has a very good amount of summary/review throughout the chapters to keep me focused on his objective in the book, and his progress throughout in showing how Humans work (especially the brain), and how they are ...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Kirk Lowery added it

Shelves: science

If you're going to read this book, bring a map of the brain's various areas, names and associated functions. Otherwise, it's hard to track all the research that the author summarizes. Gazzaniga is a confirmed materialist, with the belief that what the brain does physically is all there is. He assesses what we know of animal brain function and asks how humans are different and unique. He understands self-awareness as an "emerging" from the complex of lower level functions of consciousness. In thi ...more

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Apr 12, 2015 Stephie Iris Williams rated it really liked it

I would say that this book is pretty good. Gazzaniga presents a lot of neuroscience to show where the human brain differs from other animals, especially mammals. He throws in evolutionay psychology as well. Along the way he discusses our sociability, morality, empathy, sense of beauty, theory of mind, and consciousness. He wraps it all up with a chapter on bionics, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering. The book has some very interesting things in it. One item I found to be quite fasc ...more

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About Michael S. Gazzaniga

Michael S. Gazzaniga

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Michael S. Gazzaniga, one of the premiere doctors of neuroscience, was born on December 12, 1939 in Los Angeles. Educated at Dartmouth College and California Institute of Technology, he is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he heads the new SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind.

His early research examined the subject of epileptics who had undergone surg ...more

Books by Michael S. Gazzaniga

Who's in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain

Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience

The Ethical Brain: The Science of Our Moral Dilemmas

The Consciousness Instinct: Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind

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“When shown a series of photographs of five natural landscapes—tropical rain forest, temperate deciduous forest, coniferous forest, savanna, and desert—the youngest subjects (those in the third and fifth grades) picked the savanna as a preferred landscape. Older subjects equally preferred those landscapes with which they were familiar, as well as the savanna.52 People were happier viewing scenes with trees rather than inanimate objects, and also preferred the shapes of trees with spreading canopies, similar to those found on the African savanna, rather than rounded or columnar ones.” — 0 likes

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Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique

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