Introducing Mind and Brain

How the biological tissue of the brain can give rise to those activities which our culture refers to as the Mind confronts us with a profound and mysterious puzzle. Roughly speaking, the problem is this: why is it that having three pounds of electric sponge stowed in the top of your head enables you to discern the subtle gradations of colour on an evening landscape, to experience awe and enchantment, and then suddenly to remember the shopping, say Damn! and head off to the supermarket? Here is a beginner's guide to planning and action, language, memory, attention, emotions and vision. Introducing Mind & Brain explains what the sciences have to say about these topics. It traces the historical development of ideas about the brain and its function from antiquity to the age of neuro-imaging. Contrasting the seemingly bizarre consequences of head injury with the workaday triumphs of the healthy brain, this book invites the reader to take a fresh look at the nature of mind, consciousness and personal identity.