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Embrasser Le Ciel Immensele Cerveau Des Génies
Savant mathématicien anglais, D. Tammet souffre du syndrome d'Asperger, forme particulière de l'autisme, et de la synesthésie. Il livre ses réflexions sur le cerveau et l'intelligence, la mémoire, la créativité, le langage et la perception, et formule des hypothèses sur l'évolution future.
331 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2009
About the author
Daniel Tammet
19 books415 followersDaniel Tammet is the subject of the award-winning television documentary, The Boy with the Incredible Brain, as well as a BBC Radio 4 documentary, Two Poets (with Les Murray) and the Kate Bush song, Pi. He is the author of nine books, including the memoir Born on a Blue Day, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; two collections of essays, Thinking in Numbers, a New Yorker recommendation, and Every Word is a Bird We Teach to Sing, a Booklist Editors' Choice and Listener Magazine Book of the Year; a bilingual poetry collection in English and French, Portraits, and a novel written in French, Mishenka. His writing has appeared in Esquire, The Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, Aeon and Quadrant, and his books have been translated into thirty languages. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2012, and awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, The Open University, in 2023. Daniel Tammet lives in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
April 16, 2020
I had first discovered Daniel Tammet with Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant , his autobiography where he retells his life with Asperger, synaesthesia, and savant syndrome. I had found it so compelling (what a incredible mind!) that I decided to follow up with Embracing The Wide Sky.
In here, he takes the reader for a journey across our mind; with insights both from science and his personal experience. All in all, it's a very good read. Brain's structure, memory, language, intelligence, creativity, sensory perceptions etc. It's a 'wide sky' indeed, and, so, there is a lot to learn about many topics... that is: if you don't know much about them to start with! Having roughly the same interests as the author when it comes to the brain (hence my interest in him, perhaps?) I knew most of what he was writing about in here. Personally, then, I haven't learnt much. What I found really interesting, though, is how he uses researches and science to, combined with his personal experience, shed more than welcome lights upon various topics.
Having savant syndrome and so a very high IQ (he was encouraged to join Mensa) he nevertheless debunks IQ testing. It's not that he rejects the idea that intelligence can be assessed, but, he insists on how varied such concept is -referring to the works of a Howard Gardner, Daniel Goleman, and else... I liked that part! His arguments echo those of Stephen Jay Gould a few decades ago: 1/ such tests do not 'measure' reflection, critical thinking, creativity, and imagination (they are just a number put on very specific skill, and so cannot account for intelligence as the holistic phenomenon that it is in term of abilities); 2/ they are a vain attempt to concretely quantify, on an ascending scale at that, a feature which is abstract; 3/ they also are dangerously deterministic (not only for their troubled past, but, for blatantly ignoring that our brains are so plastic our 'intelligence' itself is ever-changing...). So much for a fixed value x put on it! He is blunt:
'...the bell curve distribution for IQ scores tells us that two-thirds of the world's population have an IQ somewhere between 85 and 115. This means that some 4.5 billion people around the globe share just 31 numerical values ('He's a 94', 'You're a 110', 'I'm a 103') equivalent to 150 million people worldwide sharing the same IQ score. This reminds me of astrology lumping everyone into one of twelve signs of the zodiac. Is human intelligence really so uniform that it can be summed up in just a handful of figures?'
Being a polyglot who even managed to learn Icelandic in a week for a TV show (yes, you're read that right: he learnt Icelandic in a week -I warned you he's an incredible mind!) his takes on linguistics, foreign language learning in particular, are also interesting and echo my own experience. You don't learn a language using audio-material 'listen-repeat', nor through grammar drills. You learn by submerging yourself in the target language - through reading, watching movies, listening to the radio etc.
'... no child acquires his mother tongue by studying its grammar or making lists of words... it is too fragmentary'
His take on numeracy skills are also interesting. Coming from him (who holds the record for reciting from memory the most digits in the mathematical constant pi -22,514 in five hours!- and is able to perform incredible calculations) they are indeed a fascinating explanation for how he manages such mathematical feats. You know what we all do when playing Scrabble, arranging and re-arranging tiles until words emerge from the process? He does the same with numbers:
'This process of taking a sum and manipulating it in my head into meaningful number shapes and patterns that generate a solution is one I consider syntactic - analogous to how most people take a jumble of thoughts in their minds and effortlessly manipulate them mentally into a coherent, grammatical and meaningful order that they can express as a sentence. For some reason they cannot do anything like this with numbers. Most people just seem overwhelmed by large numbers and are unable to think about them in the way they think about words in a sentence. In contrast, I am able to take the numbers in a sum (…) mentally break them down into meaningful shapes (…) which I can then manipulate into a 'sentence' that is grammatical (…) in the sense that it produces the correct answer.'
Such way of thinking is amazing. It allows him, above all, to discuss 'inhibition'; the mental process by which our brains prevents its parts not performing a task to interfere with the ones performing it. If the cognitive capabilities of neurotypicals are very defined within their brains (eg some areas for various linguistic skills, other for mathematical skills, others again for various sensory perceptions...) his, like other people with savant syndrome and, to a certain extend, synaesthesia or even autism, are not. It's an amazing outlook, those consequence serve to nail a point which need to be nailed again and again: the variety of human brains is such, that it's an asset to humanity as much as biodiversity is to ecology.
Here's a deeply human book besides being a great introduction to the human brain. You may or not think he is loosing track in the last few chapters, where he discusses how our brains fare in our contemporary societies (eg debunking various logical and statistical fallacies, and questioning the overload of informations constantly bombarding us with truly negative effects... - I personally found that welcomed). But, there's no denying this is a very informative read. It might have been too light for me (again, since I have a personal interest in most of the topics discussed, I haven't learnt much) yet it was entertaining and engaging throughout. A really good book!
In here, he takes the reader for a journey across our mind; with insights both from science and his personal experience. All in all, it's a very good read. Brain's structure, memory, language, intelligence, creativity, sensory perceptions etc. It's a 'wide sky' indeed, and, so, there is a lot to learn about many topics... that is: if you don't know much about them to start with! Having roughly the same interests as the author when it comes to the brain (hence my interest in him, perhaps?) I knew most of what he was writing about in here. Personally, then, I haven't learnt much. What I found really interesting, though, is how he uses researches and science to, combined with his personal experience, shed more than welcome lights upon various topics.
Having savant syndrome and so a very high IQ (he was encouraged to join Mensa) he nevertheless debunks IQ testing. It's not that he rejects the idea that intelligence can be assessed, but, he insists on how varied such concept is -referring to the works of a Howard Gardner, Daniel Goleman, and else... I liked that part! His arguments echo those of Stephen Jay Gould a few decades ago: 1/ such tests do not 'measure' reflection, critical thinking, creativity, and imagination (they are just a number put on very specific skill, and so cannot account for intelligence as the holistic phenomenon that it is in term of abilities); 2/ they are a vain attempt to concretely quantify, on an ascending scale at that, a feature which is abstract; 3/ they also are dangerously deterministic (not only for their troubled past, but, for blatantly ignoring that our brains are so plastic our 'intelligence' itself is ever-changing...). So much for a fixed value x put on it! He is blunt:
'...the bell curve distribution for IQ scores tells us that two-thirds of the world's population have an IQ somewhere between 85 and 115. This means that some 4.5 billion people around the globe share just 31 numerical values ('He's a 94', 'You're a 110', 'I'm a 103') equivalent to 150 million people worldwide sharing the same IQ score. This reminds me of astrology lumping everyone into one of twelve signs of the zodiac. Is human intelligence really so uniform that it can be summed up in just a handful of figures?'
Being a polyglot who even managed to learn Icelandic in a week for a TV show (yes, you're read that right: he learnt Icelandic in a week -I warned you he's an incredible mind!) his takes on linguistics, foreign language learning in particular, are also interesting and echo my own experience. You don't learn a language using audio-material 'listen-repeat', nor through grammar drills. You learn by submerging yourself in the target language - through reading, watching movies, listening to the radio etc.
'... no child acquires his mother tongue by studying its grammar or making lists of words... it is too fragmentary'
His take on numeracy skills are also interesting. Coming from him (who holds the record for reciting from memory the most digits in the mathematical constant pi -22,514 in five hours!- and is able to perform incredible calculations) they are indeed a fascinating explanation for how he manages such mathematical feats. You know what we all do when playing Scrabble, arranging and re-arranging tiles until words emerge from the process? He does the same with numbers:
'This process of taking a sum and manipulating it in my head into meaningful number shapes and patterns that generate a solution is one I consider syntactic - analogous to how most people take a jumble of thoughts in their minds and effortlessly manipulate them mentally into a coherent, grammatical and meaningful order that they can express as a sentence. For some reason they cannot do anything like this with numbers. Most people just seem overwhelmed by large numbers and are unable to think about them in the way they think about words in a sentence. In contrast, I am able to take the numbers in a sum (…) mentally break them down into meaningful shapes (…) which I can then manipulate into a 'sentence' that is grammatical (…) in the sense that it produces the correct answer.'
Such way of thinking is amazing. It allows him, above all, to discuss 'inhibition'; the mental process by which our brains prevents its parts not performing a task to interfere with the ones performing it. If the cognitive capabilities of neurotypicals are very defined within their brains (eg some areas for various linguistic skills, other for mathematical skills, others again for various sensory perceptions...) his, like other people with savant syndrome and, to a certain extend, synaesthesia or even autism, are not. It's an amazing outlook, those consequence serve to nail a point which need to be nailed again and again: the variety of human brains is such, that it's an asset to humanity as much as biodiversity is to ecology.
Here's a deeply human book besides being a great introduction to the human brain. You may or not think he is loosing track in the last few chapters, where he discusses how our brains fare in our contemporary societies (eg debunking various logical and statistical fallacies, and questioning the overload of informations constantly bombarding us with truly negative effects... - I personally found that welcomed). But, there's no denying this is a very informative read. It might have been too light for me (again, since I have a personal interest in most of the topics discussed, I haven't learnt much) yet it was entertaining and engaging throughout. A really good book!
March 5, 2009
This is a great book. It transported me back to the college courses I took in the late 90s for a teacher's credential. It was basically an overview of what I had learned over a two year period, except in a condensed, readable, and interesting format - although sometimes difficult to grasp and a few time to understand, due to my own lack of abilities.
He writes about how he believes our brains work and tries to dispell the myth that the human brain is like a computer arguing that our humanity is the greatest part of what makes our minds so special. He addresses autism and other brain differences, as well as language aqusition, mathematical skills, creativity, illogical and imprecise thinking, and other interesting aspects of how we learn, think, remember, and create.
Even as I accessed this book in a readable fashion it becomes apparrent how amazing Tammet is. He is an autistic savant and considered to have one of the greatest minds alive. Among many other gifts he learned the very difficult language of Icelandic in approximately one week, and spoke it fluently with native speakers in a TV interview. Incredible!
He writes about how he believes our brains work and tries to dispell the myth that the human brain is like a computer arguing that our humanity is the greatest part of what makes our minds so special. He addresses autism and other brain differences, as well as language aqusition, mathematical skills, creativity, illogical and imprecise thinking, and other interesting aspects of how we learn, think, remember, and create.
Even as I accessed this book in a readable fashion it becomes apparrent how amazing Tammet is. He is an autistic savant and considered to have one of the greatest minds alive. Among many other gifts he learned the very difficult language of Icelandic in approximately one week, and spoke it fluently with native speakers in a TV interview. Incredible!
December 23, 2009
Really well written, and pretty fascinating stuff. My grandfather was a neurosurgeon towards the end of the lobotomy days, and so I've always been really interested in how the brain works and why we think and perceive the way we do, and intrigued that we still know relatively little about it all. I thought Tammet managed to articulate very well the way in which he and some other savants are able to visualize and relate to numbers, which I've always had trouble picturing, and I found his theory of what autism is quite plausible. I thought it was also really interesting, the connections he draws between autism, creativity, and schizophrenia and other mental disorders. I don't really know much about any of it, but he certainly got me interested in doing some research.
This book also made me feel like much less of a weirdo, reading about other people who see and respond to things in ways that are similar to how I experience them. Which, you know, was an unanticipated bonus. Heh...
I liked this book a lot, and I'll definitely go back and read Tammet's first book.
This book also made me feel like much less of a weirdo, reading about other people who see and respond to things in ways that are similar to how I experience them. Which, you know, was an unanticipated bonus. Heh...
I liked this book a lot, and I'll definitely go back and read Tammet's first book.
September 30, 2016
A great book with a simplistic vocabulary that makes its scientific purpose easier to reach the reader.
It proves that the autistic mind is no different from any other mind in matters of health and sanity and that autistic individuals, to contrary belief, generally have better intellectual activity.
I only gave it 4 stars for one reason which is : I prefer reading fictional stories to scientific books or real-story-telling books.
It proves that the autistic mind is no different from any other mind in matters of health and sanity and that autistic individuals, to contrary belief, generally have better intellectual activity.
I only gave it 4 stars for one reason which is : I prefer reading fictional stories to scientific books or real-story-telling books.
November 13, 2022
A fascinating personal view into the mind of Daniel Tammet - a numerical phenom with high-functioning autistic savant syndrome. Daniel was a childhood prodigy with numbers most famous for being able to recite pi to 22,000+ digits.
I picked up this book to try and understand just how his mind works from his own perception. Though he does cover this in some of the chapters (which were absolutely fascinating) he uses much of the book to describe the general state of brain and neurological research. He goes into detail on intelligence, creativity, memory, etc to demonstrate just where science is and what might be the basis of savants, creativity and perception.
Truly, the most fascinating part of the book is his own internal experience with numbers. He 'sees' numbers as meaningful number shapes and patterns that generate a solution much like how we generate sentences. He can take the numbers and break them down into shapes, colors, emotions, etc that tie together in relationships - much like if someone said 'giraffe' the non-savants would see a relationship immediately in their mind as a collection of concepts such as long neck, four legs, mammal, patterned skin, perhaps some personal memories / emotions at a zoo, Africa, etc. Our minds do this effortlessly.
I really was hoping for more of his internal experience because I believe it sheds some light on how we learn and think - an interesting read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I picked up this book to try and understand just how his mind works from his own perception. Though he does cover this in some of the chapters (which were absolutely fascinating) he uses much of the book to describe the general state of brain and neurological research. He goes into detail on intelligence, creativity, memory, etc to demonstrate just where science is and what might be the basis of savants, creativity and perception.
Truly, the most fascinating part of the book is his own internal experience with numbers. He 'sees' numbers as meaningful number shapes and patterns that generate a solution much like how we generate sentences. He can take the numbers and break them down into shapes, colors, emotions, etc that tie together in relationships - much like if someone said 'giraffe' the non-savants would see a relationship immediately in their mind as a collection of concepts such as long neck, four legs, mammal, patterned skin, perhaps some personal memories / emotions at a zoo, Africa, etc. Our minds do this effortlessly.
I really was hoping for more of his internal experience because I believe it sheds some light on how we learn and think - an interesting read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
February 17, 2009
Don't look here for a continuation of the author's life journey (he is an autistic savant, and so much more). His first book was a descriptive story of his experiences and development. But in this latest book he seems to have grown beyond self examination to give a fairly comprehensive view of cognition in general and as it relates to our interactions, decisions, and future.
April 13, 2017
Un libro de divulgación que no profundiza en ningún tema concreto, pero recorre los suficientes como para hacerte comprender algunos mecanismos que explican nuestra forma de pensar y entender el mundo.
Es muy entretenido y está plagado de interesantes datos y curiosidades.
Muy recomendable para mentes curiosas.
Es muy entretenido y está plagado de interesantes datos y curiosidades.
Muy recomendable para mentes curiosas.
January 13, 2016
Though I like a bit of popular science and neurology/psychology, and have read books about Aspergers (and the like) in the past, this was a bit light and told me nothing new. As adequately written as it was, there was little to stand this book above others on the same subject.
December 8, 2009
In this book Daniel Tammet deals with a lot of topics that interest me as well: Math, Mind, Language, Creativity - he presents a lot of information that is quite interesting - especially his first-person views of synesthesia and of perceiving numbers semantically (i.e., the number theoretical properties like divisibility to his mind resemble grammar/morphology of sentences/words).
The facts are quite up to date, most things will be known to people interested in these fields, though.
I find myself agreeing with some of the goodreads commenter, that the style has a strange flatness to it, which I initially would have put down to reading it in translation, but it seems also to apply to the English version.
Found him a bit too harsh on Sacks, too... but I can understand his reasons.
Overall, a good book, you can read a lot worse on the subject(s).
Afterthought: I think, I may take back my verdict on flatness; I am not totally sure if I can justify ...
I liked his insistence on the importance of humanity (i.e., the esssence of being human), even though I don't share his rejection of even mild transhumanism - to me, e.g., gadgets serve efficiently as "brain extensions" up to the point, where I physically feel the effect if I lose my "external memories", i.e., I think humankind can incorporate (bio)technology into its culture without fear, in the same way as it has incorporated books at the cost of oral traditions. Somehow I think his view is understandable, as these "analog" abilities of the mind define him very much.
Another thing, I want to add: this sounds trite, even harsh, but *everyone* is essentially misunderstood and met with preconceptions, savants make no exception ...
The facts are quite up to date, most things will be known to people interested in these fields, though.
I find myself agreeing with some of the goodreads commenter, that the style has a strange flatness to it, which I initially would have put down to reading it in translation, but it seems also to apply to the English version.
Found him a bit too harsh on Sacks, too... but I can understand his reasons.
Overall, a good book, you can read a lot worse on the subject(s).
Afterthought: I think, I may take back my verdict on flatness; I am not totally sure if I can justify ...
I liked his insistence on the importance of humanity (i.e., the esssence of being human), even though I don't share his rejection of even mild transhumanism - to me, e.g., gadgets serve efficiently as "brain extensions" up to the point, where I physically feel the effect if I lose my "external memories", i.e., I think humankind can incorporate (bio)technology into its culture without fear, in the same way as it has incorporated books at the cost of oral traditions. Somehow I think his view is understandable, as these "analog" abilities of the mind define him very much.
Another thing, I want to add: this sounds trite, even harsh, but *everyone* is essentially misunderstood and met with preconceptions, savants make no exception ...
March 24, 2014
This is the 2009 book by the author of "Born on a Blue Day". He cites meticulous scientific research to tie neurological facts to human skills and argues that his savant abilities are perfectly understandable expressions of biology.
The title of the book "Embracing the Wide Sky" is inspired by one of his favorite poems, by Emily Dickinson. When I read the poem, I felt profoundly stirred and touched.
I was very struck by the chapter "Seeing What is not There". He discusses how the mind perceives and retains memories. This was particularly interesting to me as I have been journaling my entire life about my own internal tribulations while I have little recall of everyday events. On the other hand, my sister, barely a year younger than I, seems to have exacting memories of our growing years and is publishing these in an online blog. Tammet talks about memory being a complex, subjective reconstruction of the past tinged with emotional richness. I agree that no single memory is perfectly accurate as it varies with each rememberer.
The "Thinking by Numbers" reviews how people struggle with applications of numerical concepts, like median and mode, and probabilities. He argues in favor of teaching youngsters how to grapple with facts and how best to analyze and evaluate them using numerical tools. I absolutely agree. I was quite challenged by his examples and had to spend time figuring them out for myself. Clearly my math abilities need sharpening! This may be why I like to work on logic puzzles, I just like to figure things out and reframe situations in meaningful patterns.
The title of the book "Embracing the Wide Sky" is inspired by one of his favorite poems, by Emily Dickinson. When I read the poem, I felt profoundly stirred and touched.
I was very struck by the chapter "Seeing What is not There". He discusses how the mind perceives and retains memories. This was particularly interesting to me as I have been journaling my entire life about my own internal tribulations while I have little recall of everyday events. On the other hand, my sister, barely a year younger than I, seems to have exacting memories of our growing years and is publishing these in an online blog. Tammet talks about memory being a complex, subjective reconstruction of the past tinged with emotional richness. I agree that no single memory is perfectly accurate as it varies with each rememberer.
The "Thinking by Numbers" reviews how people struggle with applications of numerical concepts, like median and mode, and probabilities. He argues in favor of teaching youngsters how to grapple with facts and how best to analyze and evaluate them using numerical tools. I absolutely agree. I was quite challenged by his examples and had to spend time figuring them out for myself. Clearly my math abilities need sharpening! This may be why I like to work on logic puzzles, I just like to figure things out and reframe situations in meaningful patterns.
June 26, 2011
Makes a weak case against IQ testing:
1 Bad to apply statistics to the individual.
2 Not a good measure of true complex nature of intelligence.
3 Roots in bigotry and pseudoscience.
4 Correlation of IQ and perceived intelligence does not imply causation.
I would counter argue:
1 These statistics can still be useful in some limited cases.
2 IQ doesn't pretend to measure all aspects of intelligence, only easily measurable components.
3 So what?
4 There ARE causal factors which might be investigated by IQ testing, along with other variables.
The chapter on comparative linguistics was sort of boring.
The later chapters of the book were meandering and seemed to lack a central thesis.
That is, until the last page, where Tammet asks us to think of savants as people, not robots or freaks.
Fair enough.
1 Bad to apply statistics to the individual.
2 Not a good measure of true complex nature of intelligence.
3 Roots in bigotry and pseudoscience.
4 Correlation of IQ and perceived intelligence does not imply causation.
I would counter argue:
1 These statistics can still be useful in some limited cases.
2 IQ doesn't pretend to measure all aspects of intelligence, only easily measurable components.
3 So what?
4 There ARE causal factors which might be investigated by IQ testing, along with other variables.
The chapter on comparative linguistics was sort of boring.
The later chapters of the book were meandering and seemed to lack a central thesis.
That is, until the last page, where Tammet asks us to think of savants as people, not robots or freaks.
Fair enough.
Read
January 9, 2014It took a savant to explain the electoral college to me, go figure! I really enjoyed Mr. Tammet's prior book, Born on a Blue day, which is more autobiographical and focuses on his spectrum disorder. I was delighted to find there was not much repetitive overlap between the two books, as sometimes it seems like many nonfiction writers tell their personal stories over and over with each new book to establish their credentials. This material, while processed through the mind of someone with autism, was not specifically about autism, but rather varying ways in which people think. Fascinating information for anyone interested in the workings of the mind, written in a very readable and approachable way.
October 29, 2012
Rather than talk about what this book is about, I'd like to share how I reacted to it. First, I think mild autistic spectrum disorders probably run in my family, overlapping with ADHD. I'm pretty sure after reading this book that at least one of my family members has Asperger's syndrome, and realizing this helps me understand their social distancing. I'm encouraged to find out more.
I was especially encouraged by the "World of Words" chapter, which deals with language acquisition in general, plus common misconceptions about learning languages beyond one's own initially acquired language. I've always approached learning a second language as if there was something mysterious and hard-wired about the brain that negated my ability as an adult to learn it. After getting all eight questions right in the intuitive sense for word meanings test, I realized that learning new languages does not depend on memorizing strings of words. The techniques for learning a new language Tammet suggests made complete sense to me, and I realized I've failed in the past because I've tried to just memorize words without forming a linguistic gestalt.
Throughout other chapters, what soon became clear to me is that many people are taught to just memorize without an understanding of the underlying conceptual, logical, and systematic relationships. Tammet's explanation of the Dewey decimal system used by libraries was a great AHA! for me. The system is not at all arbitrary, as I had always assumed; new categories are not just tacked on willy nilly. The system not only makes elegant sense to me now, the way the books are organized in a library--with books of a similar nature being located near each other--seems analogous to the way information is stored most efficiently in the brain.
Tammet encourages people who are trying to learn a new language to learn clusters of words that make the words more memorable; he gives the example in English of the words "pen," "paper," "pencil," and "paint": all the words begin with similar sounds and refer to similar objects or those normally used together. As I read about phonesthesia "(where certain sounds become associated with certain meanings)" I realized that this is a major key in helping me not only learn new words but to reach for them directly in thought without having to first find an English word before translating it into the new language--always an impediment for me in trying to get past the basics of a language.
I was most drawn to the linguistic discussions in the book, but Tammet also covers visual, numerical, and other forms of apprehension and thought. Clear examples of what he is discussing are included so the reader can really visualize what he is talking about, and he gives examples to test comprehension as he goes along. He also dispels magical notions of what "genius" is and simultaneously gives us a means of drawing on our own creative intelligence--which, he is quick to tell us, is far more profound and powerful than that of the computers our brains are misguidedly compared to.
I laughed out loud when Tammet confirmed for me what I've suspected for quite some time: Drinking too much information too often through the firehose of the Internet can make you stupid! After reading this book, I can see why that is true! Time to restrict surfing like I restrict watching TV.
I was especially encouraged by the "World of Words" chapter, which deals with language acquisition in general, plus common misconceptions about learning languages beyond one's own initially acquired language. I've always approached learning a second language as if there was something mysterious and hard-wired about the brain that negated my ability as an adult to learn it. After getting all eight questions right in the intuitive sense for word meanings test, I realized that learning new languages does not depend on memorizing strings of words. The techniques for learning a new language Tammet suggests made complete sense to me, and I realized I've failed in the past because I've tried to just memorize words without forming a linguistic gestalt.
Throughout other chapters, what soon became clear to me is that many people are taught to just memorize without an understanding of the underlying conceptual, logical, and systematic relationships. Tammet's explanation of the Dewey decimal system used by libraries was a great AHA! for me. The system is not at all arbitrary, as I had always assumed; new categories are not just tacked on willy nilly. The system not only makes elegant sense to me now, the way the books are organized in a library--with books of a similar nature being located near each other--seems analogous to the way information is stored most efficiently in the brain.
Tammet encourages people who are trying to learn a new language to learn clusters of words that make the words more memorable; he gives the example in English of the words "pen," "paper," "pencil," and "paint": all the words begin with similar sounds and refer to similar objects or those normally used together. As I read about phonesthesia "(where certain sounds become associated with certain meanings)" I realized that this is a major key in helping me not only learn new words but to reach for them directly in thought without having to first find an English word before translating it into the new language--always an impediment for me in trying to get past the basics of a language.
I was most drawn to the linguistic discussions in the book, but Tammet also covers visual, numerical, and other forms of apprehension and thought. Clear examples of what he is discussing are included so the reader can really visualize what he is talking about, and he gives examples to test comprehension as he goes along. He also dispels magical notions of what "genius" is and simultaneously gives us a means of drawing on our own creative intelligence--which, he is quick to tell us, is far more profound and powerful than that of the computers our brains are misguidedly compared to.
I laughed out loud when Tammet confirmed for me what I've suspected for quite some time: Drinking too much information too often through the firehose of the Internet can make you stupid! After reading this book, I can see why that is true! Time to restrict surfing like I restrict watching TV.
September 14, 2018
A great summary and perspective of neuroscience from an autistic savant!
September 5, 2018
Overall I really liked this book. It takes a somewhat clinical look at workings of the mind. At times it reads like a textbook but overall is easy to read and follow. There are times in the book where it deviates to what seems like an unrelated topic. Such as going thorugh the oddities of statistics and how things that don't seem to be likely are statistically speaking not so unlikely. Although sections like this seem like they are off topic they are still interesting. The book is well worth reading and provides some unique insight into a operation of the mind as well as some interesting side topics.
August 3, 2010
I rounded up... I'd give it a 3.5
This book was like a poorly constructed mosaic of random thoughts; I'm currently taking a few steps back hoping to conceive the big picture/theme. I became fascinated with the mind of Daniel Tammet after reading his autobiography, "Born on a Blue Day", and I was eager to delve further into his synesthetic world. Throughout my reading of "Embracing the Wide Sky", I vacillated between a continued enchantment and slight disappointment with his dry presentation of information.
Also, Tammet claimed that this book bridged the gap between the minds of savants and those of the "average" person, with compelling research unveiling their similarities, in contrast to the common misconception that savant minds are incomprehensible and computer-like. However, I couldn't help but believe Tammet truly thought the opposite, broadening the gap between our minds and his, with his "tips" for improving memory and thinking in numbers to avoid various traps of society. They were nothing incredibly profound, and actually, at times, almost insulting to my intelligence. I am unsure of what audience he anticipated to capture here. BUT there were also some very thought-provoking chapters, particularly the one about innate language instincts and the parallels between various languages. I was also intrigued by his theories behind his mathematical thinking, hypothesizing that it is a product of overconnectivity between his arithmetic and language centers in the brain. Anyone interested in the complexities of the human mind will find a least a couple chapters here that interest them.
This book was like a poorly constructed mosaic of random thoughts; I'm currently taking a few steps back hoping to conceive the big picture/theme. I became fascinated with the mind of Daniel Tammet after reading his autobiography, "Born on a Blue Day", and I was eager to delve further into his synesthetic world. Throughout my reading of "Embracing the Wide Sky", I vacillated between a continued enchantment and slight disappointment with his dry presentation of information.
Also, Tammet claimed that this book bridged the gap between the minds of savants and those of the "average" person, with compelling research unveiling their similarities, in contrast to the common misconception that savant minds are incomprehensible and computer-like. However, I couldn't help but believe Tammet truly thought the opposite, broadening the gap between our minds and his, with his "tips" for improving memory and thinking in numbers to avoid various traps of society. They were nothing incredibly profound, and actually, at times, almost insulting to my intelligence. I am unsure of what audience he anticipated to capture here. BUT there were also some very thought-provoking chapters, particularly the one about innate language instincts and the parallels between various languages. I was also intrigued by his theories behind his mathematical thinking, hypothesizing that it is a product of overconnectivity between his arithmetic and language centers in the brain. Anyone interested in the complexities of the human mind will find a least a couple chapters here that interest them.
November 23, 2009
I first learned about Daniel Tammet when I heard a little news blurb about someone reciting pi to 22,000+ decimal places. I was completely blown away by that! As someone with an interest in autism-spectrum disorders, I really enjoyed learning more about his thought processes in the documentary Brainman and especially in his memoir, Born on a Blue Day.
I had high hopes for this new book, but I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. Tammet does provide lots of interesting tidbits of neuroscience, but I felt that I was reading a random collection of facts drawn from his prodigious memory. I had to keep flipping back to remind myself of what the thrust of the section was supposed to be. When I looked up more information on one of the topics that caught my eye, the "feelSpace" belt, I found the target="_blank">Wired article he used as a source. It was disappointing to see that the reference to it in the book was a very pedestrian summary of the first part of the article, like a grudging book report. I just did not feel engaged by this book and after repeatedly setting it aside, I decided finally that I had to just let it go.
I had high hopes for this new book, but I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. Tammet does provide lots of interesting tidbits of neuroscience, but I felt that I was reading a random collection of facts drawn from his prodigious memory. I had to keep flipping back to remind myself of what the thrust of the section was supposed to be. When I looked up more information on one of the topics that caught my eye, the "feelSpace" belt, I found the target="_blank">Wired article he used as a source. It was disappointing to see that the reference to it in the book was a very pedestrian summary of the first part of the article, like a grudging book report. I just did not feel engaged by this book and after repeatedly setting it aside, I decided finally that I had to just let it go.
April 5, 2009
The first half of the book is really unique, and filled with interesting tidbits. For example, when given a large matrix of numbers to remember, Tammet does remarkably well when the numbers are "shaped" as he experiences them: ones are spiky, twos are round, threes are sad and blue, etc. However, when the matrix is filled with numbers that explicitly defy his expectations--round blue ones, for instance--his memory is suddenly little better than that of an average person! Clearly there is something interesting here.
The second half of the book, unfortunately, is mostly rehash of pop psychology that can be found in lots of other places, along with examples from Tammet's own life with rather too little humility. One can forgive what we imagine is a socially awkward sufferer of Asperger's for his boasts--especially when they are all quite well-founded!--but it's slightly grating nonetheless.
The overall impact of reading this book, for me, was a renewed feeling of ability and changability. Tammet has sold me on the plasticity of the brain and the power of mind over matter. One can close the book confident that he can do anything, if only he sets his mind to it.
The second half of the book, unfortunately, is mostly rehash of pop psychology that can be found in lots of other places, along with examples from Tammet's own life with rather too little humility. One can forgive what we imagine is a socially awkward sufferer of Asperger's for his boasts--especially when they are all quite well-founded!--but it's slightly grating nonetheless.
The overall impact of reading this book, for me, was a renewed feeling of ability and changability. Tammet has sold me on the plasticity of the brain and the power of mind over matter. One can close the book confident that he can do anything, if only he sets his mind to it.
June 9, 2011
One day I am watching this guy on TV being treated like some kind of circus attraction the next I read the most thoughtful,truthful,insightful book on the creative process.
The author has Aspergers,synesthesia,and is a savant.The minute he speaks the lies crumble in all 3 fields.This person is not disabled,very much to the contrary,he is extraordinary.
John Lennon"when I was 8 years old I knew I was a genius,why dis nobody notice?"
Who knows how many people like Tammet were misdiagnosed and treated as disabled?
The author uses the term "hyperconnectivity" to unite both Aspergers and synesthesia,meaning more connections and less inhibition in adjacent modules in the brain.
"low levels of latent inhibition may be beneficial when combined with high intelligence and good working memory."
At the same time as this revelation we have Michael Fitzgerald "How Asperger Talents Changed the World" connecting Genius with Aspergers.
Some of the most prominent,like Richard Feynman and Vladimir Nabokov had both Aspergers and synesthesia.
"hyperconnectivity" within the brain may well lie at the heart of all forms of exceptional creativity."
The author has Aspergers,synesthesia,and is a savant.The minute he speaks the lies crumble in all 3 fields.This person is not disabled,very much to the contrary,he is extraordinary.
John Lennon"when I was 8 years old I knew I was a genius,why dis nobody notice?"
Who knows how many people like Tammet were misdiagnosed and treated as disabled?
The author uses the term "hyperconnectivity" to unite both Aspergers and synesthesia,meaning more connections and less inhibition in adjacent modules in the brain.
"low levels of latent inhibition may be beneficial when combined with high intelligence and good working memory."
At the same time as this revelation we have Michael Fitzgerald "How Asperger Talents Changed the World" connecting Genius with Aspergers.
Some of the most prominent,like Richard Feynman and Vladimir Nabokov had both Aspergers and synesthesia.
"hyperconnectivity" within the brain may well lie at the heart of all forms of exceptional creativity."
July 30, 2014
Daniel Tammet has written a book seeded with many ideas. I think he's very good at compiling relevant information and presenting them in a concise way to juxtapose concepts we normally don't associate, because he sees how they can lead to new and exciting conclusions.
He quickly came up with the conclusion that depressive symptoms can be best combated by encouraging neurogenesis, because the generation of neurons leads to new ways for the brain to channel emotionally driven memories. There is a point made about how memory recall is a dynamic process requiring an emotionally driven reconstruction. Since everything we experience is a simulation in our brains interpreted by our minds, this makes perfect sense.
Oftentimes, I noticed that the topics discussed changed abruptly from paragraph to paragraph especially near the end as the ideas came faster, and were not developed as deeply. I recommend this book to anyone who would like some food for thought, and who like to explore quirky connections between concepts which normally would never be associated. This book is well researched and documented if one would like to investigate more on any topic.
He quickly came up with the conclusion that depressive symptoms can be best combated by encouraging neurogenesis, because the generation of neurons leads to new ways for the brain to channel emotionally driven memories. There is a point made about how memory recall is a dynamic process requiring an emotionally driven reconstruction. Since everything we experience is a simulation in our brains interpreted by our minds, this makes perfect sense.
Oftentimes, I noticed that the topics discussed changed abruptly from paragraph to paragraph especially near the end as the ideas came faster, and were not developed as deeply. I recommend this book to anyone who would like some food for thought, and who like to explore quirky connections between concepts which normally would never be associated. This book is well researched and documented if one would like to investigate more on any topic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2011
I was so entranced and distracted by the reader's English accent, that sometimes I missed what was actually being said. I would repeat some of the pronunciations back out loud in the car. This is a very rational author who performs some mild myth-busting and gives some updates on the latest brain research. I'd now like to read his earlier book, Born on a Blue Day. It's fascinating listening to someone with a different perception. Mr. Tammet has a particular sensitivity to numbers. The main point that I understood is that popular notions of the human brain being akin to sophisticated computers is very far off the mark. The brain is much more fascinating and dynamic in the mysteries of its processing, part of which is to make creative associations between superficially un-related things. I do think I'll have to listen to this again, and get more out of it. The Asperger author says he sees the scratch on the fender before he sees the car. I heard the accent of the reader before I heard what he was saying.
March 2, 2012
This book is about the brain and many of its aspects, e.g. how it might work. The book also deals with "savants" and is written by one. Having seen documentaries on the phenomenon the book did not offer much new for me. As someone with a computer science education one thing that I noticed was a bit of a bias "against" CS. Even savants don't know how their brain works and I find it slightly presumptuous to reject the idea that AI is impossible and CS cannot produce "intelligent machines". I particularly take issue with describing computer sciences' language as "impoverished" and limiting it to storage, input, output and retrieval (quote in the book by Gerald Edelman). You don't have to belief in the "new age messengers" of AI like Mr. Kurzweil, but I had wished for more respect for an important scientific discipline. Final note: I found several typos in the book - you would think that especially in a book such as this the text would be flawless... But then again, we're all humans and no machines (yet)...
May 4, 2012
The book was interesting peek at the current understanding of how the brain works, especially in the more peculiar spectrum of autists and Asperger people. Before reading this book, I had been quite anxious to get my hands on it as Tammet had been promising a completely new view on the brain. However, the book mostly served interesting tidbits of current research, a lot of information on Tammet's own thinking (which is interesting) and some stories on other autistic and otherwise different thinkers. The topics covered included creativity, brain scanning techniques, the false image of autism as merely a savant syndrome, and linguistic creations of small children.
Tammet's promised new view on thinking was about seeing autism as different connections within brain, hyperconnectivity. This had some interesting research to back it up and will probably be further researched later.
I was a bit torn between giving 3 and 4 stars. Interesting read, still, while a bit scattered. And a good reminder that having a brain that works a bit differently does not meen person is damned for life.
Tammet's promised new view on thinking was about seeing autism as different connections within brain, hyperconnectivity. This had some interesting research to back it up and will probably be further researched later.
I was a bit torn between giving 3 and 4 stars. Interesting read, still, while a bit scattered. And a good reminder that having a brain that works a bit differently does not meen person is damned for life.
October 22, 2013
"Au niveau de la mémorisation, la musique détient une spécificité qui manque au langage seul. Elle a le pouvoir d'exprimer de façon puissante des sentiments de bonheur ou de joie, de frustration ou de désespoir; et l'émotion joue un rôle central dans la formation des souvenirs. Elle les rend vivaces et plus résistants à l'oubli."
"Les personnes bilingues aprennent très tôt que le nom donné aux objets est arbitraire, elles traitent donc d'un niveau d'abstraction très tôt dans leur vie."
-meilleure concentration (vieillissement)
"Utiliser la musique dans l'apprentissage d'une langue étrangère aide à imiter les rythmes et contribue à une bonne prononciation."
Autistes: communications anarchiques entre des parties habituellement "séparées" du cerveau -> capacité de voir les nombres comme des formes variées, et les mots en couleurs.
En effet 6 personnes entre chacun des habitants de la Terre !
"Si la pensée corrompt le langage, le langage peut aussi corrompre la pensée."
"Les personnes bilingues aprennent très tôt que le nom donné aux objets est arbitraire, elles traitent donc d'un niveau d'abstraction très tôt dans leur vie."
-meilleure concentration (vieillissement)
"Utiliser la musique dans l'apprentissage d'une langue étrangère aide à imiter les rythmes et contribue à une bonne prononciation."
Autistes: communications anarchiques entre des parties habituellement "séparées" du cerveau -> capacité de voir les nombres comme des formes variées, et les mots en couleurs.
En effet 6 personnes entre chacun des habitants de la Terre !
"Si la pensée corrompt le langage, le langage peut aussi corrompre la pensée."
August 29, 2014
As a person with aspergers I find books quite fascinating although i can get a bit fed up with the fiction types !!! were they seem to dwell to much on how we tale things literallY but i found this fascinating as went into how the brain works especilly the memory side of it is interesting that i can remember dates and times of things that happened decades ago but if asked to come home with a pint of milk as it does not hold importance to me til i go,and make myself a cup of tea and no milk .ave
I have suffered from various trauma in my life as a result i now have PTSD which involves me unable to handle any stress it is fascinating how the brain decides to store memories and especially how it deals trauma
I would recomend this book to anyone who has an interest in the brain as we all have one (allegedley) ha cant spell sos
I have suffered from various trauma in my life as a result i now have PTSD which involves me unable to handle any stress it is fascinating how the brain decides to store memories and especially how it deals trauma
I would recomend this book to anyone who has an interest in the brain as we all have one (allegedley) ha cant spell sos
October 12, 2017
"Unsuccessful genius is an oxymoron"
Tammet is a high functioning autistic. He is also classified as a savant. This book was quite interesting because Tammet didn't describe the mind or the way it functions in the traditional style. Through this book, Tammet references many books and articles all throughout. He is big on language and discusses the language he has been creating since he was a kid. Discussed in how learning multiple languages is much easier when you are little.
Tammet tries to explain how a savants brain isn't that far different from a regular. But his feats of memory and math boggle my simple mind.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. One thing I noticed when Tammet was running little mind test with the reader in say a math problem or in wordplay and some foreign language test did not work well in the audio version. I had a tough time focusing on the problem or the random language being spoken.
Tammet is a high functioning autistic. He is also classified as a savant. This book was quite interesting because Tammet didn't describe the mind or the way it functions in the traditional style. Through this book, Tammet references many books and articles all throughout. He is big on language and discusses the language he has been creating since he was a kid. Discussed in how learning multiple languages is much easier when you are little.
Tammet tries to explain how a savants brain isn't that far different from a regular. But his feats of memory and math boggle my simple mind.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. One thing I noticed when Tammet was running little mind test with the reader in say a math problem or in wordplay and some foreign language test did not work well in the audio version. I had a tough time focusing on the problem or the random language being spoken.
June 23, 2017
Pensé que este sería un libro sobre un savant. Es más bien una serie de datos sobre el cerebro, el aprendizaje, el lenguaje, el razonamiento matemático, etc., parte de los cuales se describen desde la óptica de las experiencias de Daniel, el autor.
Describe cómo las personas podemos fácilmente establecer relaciones entre palabras. Si yo digo "perro", es fácil pensar en perrito, perrote, perruno, perrera, pero también en animal, ladrar, cola. Aparentemente Daniel es capaz de establecer este tipo de relaciones variadas con número. Así, él ve un número como 144 y fácilmente piensa que va antes de 145 y después de 143, pero también identifica su cuadrado, factores, etc. Su relación con los números se parece en ese sentido a la relación que tiene la mayoría de las personas con las palabras. Eso me pareció interesante.
Describe cómo las personas podemos fácilmente establecer relaciones entre palabras. Si yo digo "perro", es fácil pensar en perrito, perrote, perruno, perrera, pero también en animal, ladrar, cola. Aparentemente Daniel es capaz de establecer este tipo de relaciones variadas con número. Así, él ve un número como 144 y fácilmente piensa que va antes de 145 y después de 143, pero también identifica su cuadrado, factores, etc. Su relación con los números se parece en ese sentido a la relación que tiene la mayoría de las personas con las palabras. Eso me pareció interesante.
April 26, 2010
Some people after stroke lose ability to understand the language yet remain intelligent and self-sufficient. (Though Tammet contradicts himself later in the book).
Some people with synaesthesia (colouring sounds/ words/ numbers in one's mind), colour things with colours they can't see in the 'real' world. (Martian colours)
Otherwise, Tammet picked up the lingo talking with top neuroscientist that were researching him. Tammet's own research doesn't seem to be deep, and I heard most of the arguments already.
Tammet unnecessarily posits that most savants are like him, with 'language' centre in the brain cross-connected to other centres (unlike in a 'healthy' brain).
Nevertheless, readable, short and well structured book.
Some people with synaesthesia (colouring sounds/ words/ numbers in one's mind), colour things with colours they can't see in the 'real' world. (Martian colours)
Otherwise, Tammet picked up the lingo talking with top neuroscientist that were researching him. Tammet's own research doesn't seem to be deep, and I heard most of the arguments already.
Tammet unnecessarily posits that most savants are like him, with 'language' centre in the brain cross-connected to other centres (unlike in a 'healthy' brain).
Nevertheless, readable, short and well structured book.
October 21, 2010
I really enjoyed Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant and was looking forward to Tammet's second book. It is fine for what it is, but while the first book was primarily memoir and display of an unusual ability from a high-functioning Asperger's / savant syndrome person describing how he does what he does, this book more analyzes theories of personality and intelligence with his personal and unique perspectives added in. I'm very familiar with the topics so it was mostly review for me, and eventually I lost interest.
March 28, 2011
Embracing the Wide Sky is a book written by autistic savant Daniel Tammett. Tammet can recite pi for hours on end, find the square roots and multiply large sums easily, and he also learns languages very quickly, speaks at least 12 fluently, and is even creating his own language.
In this book, he analyzes how our brain works and how we learn things such as maths and languages, the biology of creativity, how different savants express their abilities, and also looks at the nature of intelligence and how relative it can be. He illustrates his points with studies and his own personal experiences. I found it incredibly fascinating and definitely recommend it. I plan to read his other book, Born on a Blue Day, sometime soon.
In this book, he analyzes how our brain works and how we learn things such as maths and languages, the biology of creativity, how different savants express their abilities, and also looks at the nature of intelligence and how relative it can be. He illustrates his points with studies and his own personal experiences. I found it incredibly fascinating and definitely recommend it. I plan to read his other book, Born on a Blue Day, sometime soon.
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