A Very Short Tour of the Mind: 21 Short Walks Around the Human Brain

by Michael Corballis Narrated by Derek Shetterly

Overview

What gives the human brain the creative ability that defines us all as individuals? Although the silicon version is hard on its heels, the brain remains the most remarkable computer in existence. Leading us through cognitive theory, neuroscience and Darwinian evolution with his trademark wit and wisdom, Michael Corballis explains what we know-and don't know-about our minds. How do we know if we're really the top dogs in brain power? Does our creativity stem solely from the right brain? From language to standing upright, composing music to bull, he uncovers our most common misconceptions and the fascinating habits and abilities that make us human.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Corballis (The Recursive Mind) goes for a long shot but falls far short: in attempting to pack nearly half a century of research on the human mind into just over a hundred pages, he gives each subject short shrift. The author, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Auckland, dives right into his discussion of some of the brain’s most interesting features and functions, addressing topics as far-ranging as left-handedness, “lies and bullshit,” the interstices of language and music, facial recognition, and the synesthetic title of a Nabokov novel (Ada). Each gets a two-to-four-page treatment—some accompanied by illustrations—and every entry is interesting. But Corballis isn’t kidding when he calls these “short walks.” Many chapters feel conspicuously incomplete; one entitled “Why Italians Gesticulate,” for example, suffers from a glaring lack of, well, Italians. Add another demerit for no discernible guiding principle. At the end, readers will fell less like tourists in the hands of a well-informed guide, and more like sheep behind a lost shepherd. Illus. (July)

From the Publisher

"Provocative . . . A captivating story."

Kirkus Reviews

A wise old psychologist collects a lifetime of neurological pearls. Corballis (Psychology, Emeritus/Univ. of Auckland; The Recursive Mind: The Origins of Human Language, Thought, and Civilization, 2011) writes a column for New Zealand Geographic: short, ingenious, four to five page essays on his specialty. Is our brain the largest? No; larger animals have larger brains. Is it the largest in relation to body size? No; mice and small birds do better. Corballis turns up measurements that place the human brain at No. 1 but admits that the most impressive fact is that we are the only species investigating the problem. The usual myths fall by the wayside. No one knows who first claimed that we use only 10 percent of our brain, but no imaging study detects areas that remain silent as if waiting to perform. The belief that our right brain governs creativity while the left sticks to boring rationality is not likely to disappear, despite Corballis' skepticism. He explains why humans are skilled at recognizing faces but not shoulders, feet or names. As for our vaunted memory, the author points out that nature designed it to plan future actions, not to record the past (which has no evolutionary value). As a result, accuracy has a low priority, and human memory is wildly unreliable. Swearing is more common in extroverts and the uneducated, less so in introverts and religious people. Often a mark of coolness today, religious, excretory and sexual obscenities have lost their impact; racial epithets remain the only major taboo. A thoroughly enjoyable exploration of questions even astute readers may not have thought worth asking.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171444280
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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