The Ethical Brain
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Narrated by:
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Patrick Lawlor
About this listen
Such thought-provoking questions are rapidly emerging as new discoveries in neuroscience have raised difficult legal and ethical dilemmas. Michael Gazzaniga, widely considered to be the father of cognitive neuroscience, investigates with an expert eye some of these controversial and complex issues in The Ethical Brain.
©2006 Michael Gazzaniga (P)2008 Dana PressListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"None of the ideas are necessarily new in The Ethical Brain, but it is still an easy-to-read survey that treats the reader to an overview of the entire set of issues pertaining to morals and the brain." ( Science and Theology News)
"Gazzaniga eschews easy answers in exploring the potential and limits of neuroscience." ( USA Today)
"[ The Ethical Brain] does not address practical ethical questions that may confront clinicians in daily practice. Nevertheless, the strength...is the author's perspective as a neuroscientist, which will introduce the reader to complex aspects of neuroscience in relation to behavior society." ( Journal of the American Medica Association)
In The Ethical Brain, [Gazzaniga] does not shy away from taking on the loaded question...when does an embryo become a human being--"one of us"? His thoughtful discussion makes The Ethical Brain a worthwhile read." ( San Jose Mercury)
"Michael S. Gazzaniga takes an unflinching lok at the interface between neuroscience and ethics, and offers his own thoughtful perspective on some of the tough questions. ( Media Times Review Blog)
The Ethical Brain provides us with cautions--prominent among them that 'neuroscience will never find the brain correlate of responsibility, because that is something we ascribe to humans--to people--not to brains. It is a moral value we demand of our fellow, rule-following human beings.' This statement--coming as it does from so eminent a neuroscientist--is a cultural contirbution in itself." ( The New York Times)
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In Ungifted, cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman - who was relegated to special education as a child - sets out to show that the way we interpret traditional metrics of intelligence is misguided. Kaufman explores the latest research in genetics and neuroscience, as well as evolutionary, developmental, social, positive, and cognitive psychology, to challenge the conventional wisdom about the childhood predictors of adult success. He reveals that there are many paths to greatness, and argues for a more holistic approach to achievement that takes into account each young person’s personal goals, individual psychology, and developmental trajectory.
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Great content for the intellectually curious
- By ZestyFresh on 08-11-17
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Suspicious Minds
- How Culture Shapes Madness
- By: Joel Gold, Ian Gold
- Narrated by: Joel Gold, Ian Gold
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Mr. A. was admitted to Dr. Joel Gold’s inpatient unit at Bellevue Hospital in 2002. He was, he said, being filmed constantly, and his life was being broadcast around the world "like The Truman Show" - the 1998 film depicting a man who is unknowingly living out his life as the star of a popular soap opera. Over the next few years, Gold saw a number of patients suffering from what he and his brother, Dr. Ian Gold, began calling the "Truman Show Delusion," launching them on a quest to understand the nature of this particular phenomenon and the nature of madness itself.
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Intriguing
- By L. K. on 04-18-16
By: Joel Gold, and others
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Riveted
- The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe
- By: Jim Davies
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Professor Jim Davies's fascinating and highly accessible book, Riveted, reveals the evolutionary underpinnings of why we find things compelling. Drawing on work from philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, psychology, economics, computer science, and biology, Davies offers a comprehensive explanation to show that in spite of the differences between the many things that we find compelling, they have similar effects on our minds and brains.
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Fun and excellent listen!
- By Alejandro Franco on 04-13-18
By: Jim Davies
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The Accidental Mind
- How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God
- By: David J. Linden
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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You've probably seen it before: a human brain dramatically lit from the side, the camera circling it like a helicopter shot of Stonehenge, and a modulated baritone voice exalting the brain's elegant design in reverent tones... to which this book says: Pure nonsense.
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Best general-public Brain Science book to date
- By Francisco on 02-14-11
By: David J. Linden
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The Mind Club
- Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters
- By: Daniel M. Wegner, Kurt Gray
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Nothing seems more real than the minds of other people. When you consider what your boss is thinking or whether your spouse is happy, you are admitting them into the "mind club". It's easy to assume other humans can think and feel, but what about a cow, a computer, a corporation? What kinds of minds do they have? Daniel M. Wegner and Kurt Gray are award-winning psychologists who have discovered that minds - while incredibly important - are a matter of perception.
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Who is the self in me? Am I part of something bigger?
- By Philomath on 03-24-16
By: Daniel M. Wegner, and others
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Freedom Evolves
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Can there be freedom and free will in a deterministic world? Renowned philosopher Daniel Dennett emphatically answers "yes!" Using an array of provocative formulations, Dennett sets out to show how we alone among the animals have evolved minds that give us free will and morality. Weaving a richly detailed narrative, Dennett explains in a series of strikingly original arguments - drawing upon evolutionary biology, cognitive neuroscience, economics, and philosophy - that far from being an enemy of traditional explorations of freedom, morality, and meaning, the evolutionary perspective can be an indispensable ally.
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I knew I was going to like this book
- By Gary on 05-30-14
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About Behaviorism
- By: B.F. Skinner
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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About Behaviorism is about the controversial philosophy known as behaviorism, written by its leading exponent.
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Refreshing and concise
- By Autumn and Sam on 07-30-22
By: B.F. Skinner
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The Blank Slate
- The Modern Denial of Human Nature
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 22 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits, denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts.
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Don't bother. Outdated science & poor logic...
- By ejf211 on 03-31-10
By: Steven Pinker
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Consciousness and the Social Brain
- By: Michael S. A. Graziano
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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What is consciousness and how can a brain, a mere collection of neurons, create it? In Consciousness and the Social Brain, Princeton neuroscientist Michael Graziano lays out an audacious new theory to account for the deepest mystery of them all. In Graziano's theory, the machinery that attributes awareness to others also attributes it to oneself. Damage that machinery and you disrupt your own awareness. Graziano discusses the science, the evidence, the philosophy, and the surprising implications of this new theory.
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Cutting edge...
- By Douglas on 08-07-14
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Autopilot
- The Art & Science of Doing Nothing
- By: Andrew Smart
- Narrated by: Kevin Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Andrew Smart wants you to sit and do nothing much more often - and he has the science to explain why. At every turn we’re pushed to do more, faster, and more efficiently: That drumbeat resounds throughout our wage-slave society. Multitasking is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity. But Andrew Smart argues that slackers may have the last laugh. The latest neuroscience shows that the “culture of effectiveness” is not only ineffective, it can be harmful to your well-being.
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Not worth it.
- By B Lee on 04-30-14
By: Andrew Smart
What listeners say about The Ethical Brain
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Derek
- 05-07-09
interesting stuff
While I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions, implied as they may be, I learned much from this book as a left brain. And while I am what would be called "pro-life," on the abortion issue, Dr. Gazzaniga presents the debate in a way that really forces one to think it through without emotion.
The question of when life begins, in terms of the brain is really out there. It's kind of like looking up at the stars on a clear night and wondering how it all began.
But the book covers many other aspects of the brain, behavior, and ethical implications which are well thought out and presented. If anybody thinks that George Bush was "anti-science" they should take a listen to this by a man who was appointed by Bush to his Council on Bioethics.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Ekaterina
- 11-18-18
Choose another Gazzaniga's work
'Who's in charge?' was brilliant and had a great impact on my life. 'Ethical brain' wasn't and hadn't (yet). There are some interesting points, but overall it seems a bit dated and leaves no coherent idea.
I would recommend waiting for another couple of weeks until Gazzaniga's 'Consciousness Instinct' is released on Audible. It does look promising.
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Overall
- toni c
- 10-26-09
2nd time was better
I origanally gave this title 3 stars but gave it a 2nd listen and found it much more enjoyable and made sense.
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2 people found this helpful
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- rogerh28@aol.com
- 05-26-18
After
Enjoyed the feeling after listening to this book. Now I know why my thinking mind creates my world from what has been stored in the brain
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- Chem Lemma
- 09-21-17
The "Ethical Brain" disparages others opinions?
What disappointed you about The Ethical Brain?
The idea of ethics is to place before the student the ideas and scenarios where ethics are challenged. The guide in the adventure needs to challenge the student's beliefs. It is not for the guide to *guide* towards an irrefutable conclusion. Ethics are personal.Gazzaniga began well by identifying the topics and expanding on them. Then instead of a dispassionate argument, he dismisses my perspective and efforts his own as de facto. Listening to the book I kept waiting for the "however..." It never materialized. I listened to a third of the book, into several chapters hoping that his Ethical Brain would introduce a form of a discussion or argument.It seemed to me that his stances on stem cell research and abortion were misunderstood by myself and that if only I could bear the truth I would be convinced.He sure convinced me. Convinced me to be more selective to what I buy. I wish I could return it.
Would you ever listen to anything by Michael Gazzaniga again?
No. His arguments were interesting but not convincing, and if he was not trying to convince then why did he not introduce antithesis to his thesis. If he is not a college professor in philosophy, he should be. He would fit right in with all the other anti-conservative dopes out there.Reader beware: Gazzaniga has no concept that differing opinions matter. (Isn't it funny how I -- clearly conservative -- am asking for equal time.)
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The narrator did fine. It was very hard getting beyond the diatribe to ascertain his ability.
What character would you cut from The Ethical Brain?
The author.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- B.
- 11-25-09
Philosophically unsound, misguided reasoning
This book was so bad I had to switch it off after only 30 minutes because I got so frustrated I almost drove my car off the road while listening to it. It's philosophically unsound -- although the author claims to have much to say about ethics he clearly hasn't read much on the subject. His ideas on neurophilosophy are similarly unsound. Lots of unclarified assumptions and 'common sense' reasoning that doesn't help anyone. Bummer I bought it!
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4 people found this helpful
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- JKH
- 09-24-11
not sure if this is science or philosophy, but bad
This book contains very little relevant science, and thus doesn't appear to be a science book. It is also not a book of philosophy, in the sense of establishing a coherent theory based on a well-defined set of premises. Rather, it seems to be a collection of random thoughts of the sort one might discuss over a barstool. So if you are curious about Michael Gazzaniga's vague musings about ethics, you'll like this book. If you wanted to learn something more general about ethics, you won't.
The reader is annoying, which doesn't help.
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3 people found this helpful
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- W. Stigall
- 04-25-13
Few books make you worse for listening to them.
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
The only reason to listen to this is to find straw-man arguments that are easily assailed.
What do you think your next listen will be?
Power of Habit by Duhigg
Which character – as performed by Patrick Lawlor – was your favorite?
n/a
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Gazzaniga is clearly well versed in his speciality - neuroscience - but as soon as he ventures outside those bounds he is incredibly pedestrian.
Any additional comments?
Gazzaniga's attempts at philosophy, sociology, and anthropology are remarkably thoughtless. I'm not typically a review-writer, but feel compelled to warn others of this book's shortcomings which are many and manifest. His competence in his field is unquestioned - the neuroscience aspects were interesting. But anything beyond his expertise is painful. Unfortunately the majority of the book is Gazzaniga venturing outside his expertise.
One example of the myriad: his support of embryonic stem cell research dismisses any actual discussion of the various sides with this metaphor: an embryo is like a human being like a home depot is like a house. There's so much wrong with this it's hard to know where to start. He is completely ignorant of the discussion on various types of potentiality and actuality that have been a part of philosophy for about 2500 years. The embryo will of its own devices fulfill its potentiality to become a fully formed human being. The home depot requires intervention from beyond itself to become a house. The embryo has active potentiality. The home depot has passive potentiality. The embryo becomes what it is supposed to be. The home depot becomes something completely different than what it is. It may be that this argument isn't convincing, but it clearly should be discussed.
He's also apparently ignorant of the discussions of what makes an organism an organism - it's self-organization. This isn't a trivial problem. It's one of our leading neuroscientists who writes books on ethics and sat on the President's Bioethics Council being ignorant of basic philosophical concepts.
Honestly, if you're looking for arguments that are easily shot down, take a listen. If you're looking to actually learn something, look elsewhere.
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1 person found this helpful