Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain

by António Damásio

If pain is a lever for the proper deployment of drives and instincts, and for the development of related decision-making strategies, it follows that alterations in pain perception should be accompanied by behavioral impairments.

the distinction between pain itself, that is, the perception of a certain class of sensory signals, and suffering, that is, the feeling that comes from perceiving the emotional reaction to that perception.

main efforts of neurobiology and medicine

how to deal with the suffering that arises from personal and social conflicts outside the medical realm is a different and entirely unresolved matter. The current trend is to make no distinction at all and utilize the medical approach to eliminate any discomfort.

the benefits of all these wonder drugs? The problem,

First,

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pleasure.