Splendors and miseries of the brain - love, creativity, and the quest for human happiness

Semir Zeki

Wiley-Blackwell

2009

256 páginas

8h 32m

ISBN-13: 9781405185578

Splendors and Miseries of the Brain, which is derived from Balzac's novel of the same name, delves into the brain's key functions of obtaining knowledge and forming concepts about the world. While these functions have been more thoroughly documented in neurobiology's traditional disciplines - physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, pharmacology, mathematics, and computer science to name but a few - Zeki goes beyond these fields to scientifically study the products of the brain in literature, music, art, and other fields. By studying these fields, Zeki shows that we can reach important conclusions about how the brain functions and its common processes. He also examines the heavy price to be paid in terms of human happiness that comes with the exquisite capacity of the brain, and shows how misery can ultimately be turned to advantage, due to its intimate link to creativity.