The Biological Mind Book Summary - The Biological Mind Book explained in key points

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The Biological Mind summary

Name: The Biological Mind
Rating: 4.5 (149 reviews)
Author: Alan Jasanoff

Alan Jasanoff

How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are

4.5 (149 ratings)

28 mins

Topics

The Brain Neuroscience

Table of Contents

The Biological Mind
Summary of 10 key ideas

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What’s in it for me? A scientific take on what makes you “you.”

Where does your personality live?

For most of us, the answer is easy: in our brains. For centuries, Western thought and common sense has placed the mind and body into two separate worlds. Yet this is a simplistic approach. The latest neuroscientific research hints that the truth is much more complicated.

In reality, the division between brain and body is not so clean cut. In fact, our mental functioning is tightly entwined with the physical world. Everything from the chemicals in our stomach to the lighting in our environment can play a huge role in how we think and feel.

Using down-to-earth language and mind-bending thought experiments these blinks dig into the scientific and philosophical implications of this more nuanced view of the brain.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how our guts can control our thoughts;
why science news can’t always be trusted; and
what it would be like to live as a brain in a vat.

Most of us see the brain as a transcendental object rather than a biological organ.

The mammalian brain is one of the most complex structures in nature. Even a cow’s brain consists of billions of cells and trillions of neurological connections. It truly is a wonder. Yet, the mammalian brain is far more than just a complex – it’s also a tasty snack.

Yes, that’s right, the brain is edible. Full of fat and vitamins, it’s pretty nutritious. Given the right recipe, it can be whipped up into a tasty soup or stew. Okay, if you’re like most people, brain isn’t usually on the menu. But this hasn’t always been the case. Archeological evidence from Kenya suggests early humans made animal brains a regular snack. It’s only relatively recently that its popularity as a food has declined, especially in the West.

So, why the aversion to eating what could easily be a hearty and healthy delicacy? It’s because of what the author calls the “cerebral mystique.” We see brains as more than just an organ. We see them as the seat of the mind, and the source of the soul.

The key message here is: Most of us see the brain as a transcendental object rather than a biological organ.

Our modern fixation on the special nature of the brain started in the early 1800s when German scientist Franz Gall popularized phrenology. Phrenology claimed a person’s intelligence and character could be mapped onto the size and shape of their brain.

Despite being largely false, phrenology made brains a hot topic. Famous figures from Abraham Lincoln to Walt Whitman underwent phrenological exams. Universities amassed extensive collections of brains in jars. Entire colonial projects were justified based on flimsy comparisons between European and African skull shapes.

Of course, few believe in phrenology now. These days, our scientific understanding of the brain is much more nuanced. Decades of research show that the brain is a complex organ and its functioning is impacted by innumerable variables. Still, the “cerebral mystique” remains strong.

Popular culture still depicts the brain as mysterious, elusive, almost supernatural. Just think of the pictures used to accompany magazine articles about anything neuroscience related: the brain is shown as ethereal, floating alone, bathed in mystical blue or green light.

The next blinks will deconstruct this illusion. We’ll start with the widespread belief that the brain and body are somehow separate entities.

Like other organs, the brain is wet, messy, and relies on a complex mix of chemical processes to function.

What is a brain actually like? Well, that depends on who you ask.

Throughout history, the brain has often been compared to the latest cutting-edge technology. For Plato, the brain was a chariot pulled by the horses of passion. In the 1920s, anthropologist Arthur Keith likened it to a telephone switch board. Today, the most common metaphor for the brain is a computer.

While the brain has a complex structure, it’s still possible to understand how it works.

If there is one thing we know about the brain, it’s that it’s complicated – very complicated. Top neuroscientist Christof Koch of the Allen Brain Institute, calls our noggin “the most complex object in the known universe.”

There’s truth to this statement – the brain is complex. Just look at the numbers. The average human brain consists of about 60 billion neurons. Each of these neurons has about ten thousand synapses. These synapses allow neurons to maintain about 150 individual connections. The result of all this is a network with trillions of possible configurations.

Current brain imaging techniques are not as perfect as they seem.

Have you ever wanted to be a mindreader? Life would certainly be easier if you could just peek inside someone’s head and see what they’re really thinking. Well, new advancements in brain imaging technology make this dream look like a real possibility.

The most cutting-edge method for looking at the brain is functional magnetic resonance imaging, also known as fMRI. In simple terms, this technique uses the tiny amount of magnetism in blood-born iron to track blood flow throughout the brain. fMRI studies usually entail giving a patient some type of stimuli, then watching which parts of the brain become active.

Our minds are the product of complex interactions between our biological brain and our physical bodies.

Want to see the future? The Alcor Life Extension Foundation has got a deal for you! For a couple dozen grand, this service will freeze your brain in liquid nitrogen until a later date. When technology has advanced enough, they’ll thaw it out and pop it in a new body.

If this sounds too easy, it’s because it is. Even if your brain survives the process, that new “you” won’t really be you. That’s because what we understand as the “self” is not contained in the brain alone. The body plays an important role as well. Remove one, and the whole system falls apart.

Everything from your thoughts and feelings to your intentional actions are impacted by the outside world.

If you’ve ever tried to study in a crowded cafe, you know that a little bit of racket can do a lot to disrupt your concentration. It’s pretty obvious that our surroundings can affect our cognition, whether we like it or not.

The key message here is: Everything from your thoughts and feelings to your intentional actions are impacted by the outside world.

Claiming the brain is the sole cause of human behavior overlooks other important contributing factors.

A hot August morning in 1966. Former marine Charles Whitman takes a rifle and climbs the 300-foot tower at the center of UT Austin. Over the next few hours, he shoots at innocent victims below. When it’s over, 18 are dead.

What drove Whitman to this senseless massacre? That depends on who you ask.

We should be careful about over-emphasizing the brain’s role in mental illness.

You wake up one morning: stuffy nose, sneezing, chills down your spine. You’ve got a cold. Physical illness happens to everyone. It’s a drag, but not a personal failing.

These days, mental illness is treated in a similar manner. This is a big improvement. In the past, psychiatric disorders were considered the result of moral failings. Patients were seen as “degenerates” and sometimes locked away in terrible conditions.

Promises about enhancing the brain with neurotechnology are mostly unrealistic.

A swarm of nanobots rewire your neurons. Suddenly, you can speak perfect French. Digital nodes connect your cortex directly to the internet. Now, you can email your thoughts to a friend. And your car? You can drive it with your mind.

These are just some features transhumanists like Raymond Kurzweil and Michio Kaku see in our future. These thinkers, and others like them, base their forecasts on the emerging science of brain hacking. Here, hacking means manipulating the brain with the use of digital technology or other gadgetry.

Your brain without your body just wouldn’t be the same you.

Let’s end with a thought experiment. Let’s say the unspeakable happens: your life is cut short by an unforeseen tragedy. Luckily, your loved ones sign you up for an experimental service. Your brain will be cryogenically preserved in a vat.

Decades later, medical technology has advanced. Scientists develop an advanced bioelectronic neural input-output interface. With this new machinery, frozen brains may be reawakened. Your body may be gone, but your brain will now experience the world as a rich computer-generated simulation.

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What is The Biological Mind about?

The Biological Mind (2018) debunks the “cerebral mystique,” the commonly held belief that our brains are somehow completely independent from our bodies and our surroundings. Using the latest insights from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, this approachable primer demonstrates that what you see as yourself is much more complex than you thought.

Who should read The Biological Mind?

Science buffs looking to keep up with the latest research
Armchair philosophers curious about questions of consciousness
Psychonauts seeking to understand their own minds

About the Author

Dr. Alan Jasanoff is a professor of Biological Engineering, Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His lab at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research produces some of the world’s most cutting-edge research into neuroscience and brain functioning.

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