The first few chapters of the book seemed to be very long and he just dragged the same topic. I thought he used way too many statistics instead of tryThe first few chapters of the book seemed to be very long and he just dragged the same topic. I thought he used way too many statistics instead of trying to convince the reader why he shouldn't eat artificial food. He kept criticizing the government and people for accepting these products. There were many instances where I just put down the book because it was so bland and it was stuff we had heard before so I was not that impressed. However in the second part was actually quite interesting as he got convincing which i really changed my perspective on the topic actually. I got engrossed into the novel because he wasn't using statistics anymore and was involving the reader by making them think and giving them tips and such. I thought he was writing more freely than before and here one could really see the love he has for food actually. This is when he made me think that yeah food was better back in the olden days. I think one of the major reasons i liked the book was because he made me fall in love with food all over again and this time i mean the organic side of the food industry. So I think the book overall was good except for some parts where he really just kept giving numbers instead of explaining to us why we shouldnt eat the artificial food except for the fact that the word is in the name but still. ...more
The book Proust was a neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer allowed a comprehensive insight into what he describes as the �4th culture� � a merging of the naThe book Proust was a neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer allowed a comprehensive insight into what he describes as the �4th culture� � a merging of the natural sciences and the arts. Lehrer explores various artist’s works, from the cook to the painter, musician and writer and their early discoveries of the complex workings of the brain. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book lies in the connections that Lehrer draws between these works of artists and the history behind the neuroscience, which they explored (whether consciously or unconsciously) to a rather distinctive degree. Hence, the focus is on the often-diminished ‘scientific credibility� of art. Rather than seeing the work as entertainment only, Lehrer comprehensively describes the aim of the artists in exposing new discoveries to how the senses function, to what extent a ‘self� can be discovered, how memories are formed and retrieved and several more crucial aspects of neuroscience.
Lehrer breaks down the book into a prelude, followed by eight chapters, each one focusing on a specific artist, and a coda. The prelude outlines the major points of connecting natural science and art as mentioned before: ‘What science forgets is that this isn’t how we experience the world�. He follows this initial thesis throughout the book. At times, the countless repetition of (almost) precisely these words could make it somewhat monotonous, though I thought it was quite a wonderful way of reminding the reader what exactly we are looking for in these works � the connection between the scientific explanation of the world and the way we actually experience our environment!
The chapters follow in chronological order, beginning with the writer Walt Whitman and his discoveries concerning the link between the material body and the mental experiences of a soul. This chapter was interesting in the simple sense that it was an introduction into Lehrer’s writing. He uses many rhetorical questions, which he follows up with explanations, either immediately or after a little discourse. It might be a subconscious pleasantness throughout but it would be rude not to mention his own writing style. Varied vocabulary, both for the scientist and the student, wordplays and stylistic elements such as alliteration or similes add to the whole. Back to Whitman� Whitman’s conviction that ‘body and mind are inseparable� struck me as a basic observation. It was interesting to follow his own journey through revelations. From working at the camp sites of the soldiers during the Civil War to his old age at which he declared: ‘the only answer is that there is no answer�. ‘Stop thinking of the scientific theories as mirror of nature�, was one of his opinions on science. Though an interesting observation for the time of the scientific revolution, I thought his thoughts on poets even more inspiring: ‘Science and religion might see the body in terms of its shameful parts, but the poet, lover of the whole, knows that the human body and soul must remain an entirety.� A thought that occurred to me towards the end of the chapter addressed his stance on phantom limbs. If the body and the soul are bound together in their entirety, then why would one not loose part of the soul when one looses part of one’s body? Just a thought�
The chapter on George Elliot caused a great deal of thought on the subject of free will but also on the subject of a great respected female writer of her time. Lehrer portrays George Elliot, Maryann Evans, Marian Evans, Mary Ann Cross, whatever name you choose, as the strong woman, the independent woman, the revolutionary of her time, always a step ahead. I guess, as a woman, it makes it all the more interesting to hear that she managed to explain, before science had the means to do so, neuroplasticity. It might be her ebullient personality that allowed her to see more potential in the brain than what it was given credit for. Most interesting for me, was the discussion on free will and her personal relation to the experience of this phenomenon. It was intriguing to read about her observation of herself. The way in which she took a step backwards and gained a more objective view of her mind than what would otherwise have been possible.
The chapter on Auguste Escoffier was perhaps the most interesting one for me. The ingenious discovery of a taste bud for protein as part of his art, the creation of hot dinners and a fine dining culture in France does not just seem like quite the big feat, but like the ultimate goal of a designer: to combine the arts and the science to a medium in-between that is useful to us in our everyday life! Umami today, broth back then � his creation offered an insight into the world of the olfactory senses we are only gaining today in neuroscience. It is therefore a wonderful opportunity to read about both sides, parallel in Lehrer’s book. He chooses clever examples and several studies to support his own as well as Escoffier’s own thesis on food: we love umami and we eat with our nose!
Marcel Proust � the one person, who’s name got to land on the cover of the book. Personally, I am not quite convinced that his insight was the most profound or the most revolutionary. Still, it is fair to say that his observation of the Madeleine came a long way! ‘He wanted to show how his current condition distorted his sense of the past�. This insight on memory alongside other statements such as � If you prevent the memory from changing, it ceases to exist� allows us to grasp a little of what Proust was getting at: that our memory is not a picture, just as science is not a mirror! Again, Lehrer made Proust’s discoveries much more interesting by informing the reader about the current developments on the understanding of memory. He rounds up the discussion on prions with: � Every time we conjure up our pasts, the branches of our recollections become malleable again�
As an artist, it was fascinating to read about Cezanne’s discoveries regarding our vision. Lehrer explores the cultural circumstances in which Cezanne developed his unique painting style, exposing critical misconceptions on our vision. The camera, a major new invention at the time, is described as being a liar: ‘Because the reality did not consist of static images� the camera can never really reflect reality. Cezanne was far more interested in what we do not see, what our eyes miss or our brain fails to process. The most interesting aspect of the examples given by Lehrer was the aspect of unfinished lines and shapes that we manage to complete into one comprehensive picture!
The chapter on Igor Stravinsky explored the same aspects of misconception of the auditory cortex of our brain that Cezanne had done for sight. Again, Lehrer introduces various studies to help understand how flexible our brain can be. The most prominent point might be that we can change our preference for certain notes or intervals with enough training and exposure!
Gertrude Stein was perhaps the most stunning persona I encountered in Lehrer’s book. Her personality, her relationships, her influence � she was a lady of great impact in her time as today. Then, the people might have failed to acknowledge her revolutionary thoughts on grammar but, still, she was respected by all her fellow artists (and credited as mentor after all). The most interesting point was her failed attempt to prove that words are merely words: � Because words are always interconnected by syntax, they can never say nothing.� Surprisingly, on a hunt for a Stein poem on the internet, I came across one that I thought utterly beautiful, even though her aim might have been to dispose of all connotations and images related to the words used.
The final chapter dealt with Virginia Woolf and her insight on the ‘emergent self� � the source of an identity, which can (as Lehrer concludes) never really be located in our brain. Her observations of her own flow of thoughts allowed her to write as we think. Again, I admire the combining of immediate thought and art, the inevitable reality and the timelessness of the end product. Also, Lehrer gives a wonderful description in support of his thesis that science cannot describe reality fully: ‘Your head contains a hundred billion electrical cells, but not one of them is you or knows you or cares about you. In fact, you don’t even exist. The brain is nothing but an infinite regress of matter, reducible to the callous laws of physics.�
To conclude, I should say that I greatly enjoyed reading Proust was a neuroscientist. Jonah Lehrer did a wonderful job of merging the works of some of the most wonderful artists of the last century and the newest discoveries in neuroscience. It shows us again and again: Existence is a miracle!
Alisha Gadhoke The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a true story about a woman, named Henrietta Lacks and her unAlisha Gadhoke The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a true story about a woman, named Henrietta Lacks and her unintentional contribution to science and medicine worldwide. As Henrietta died in the early 1950’s, Rebecca Skloot, the author, had to rely on her remaining family, and those who knew her and were not yet deceased to tell her story. Henrietta’s daughter Deborah is the main source of information about Henrietta’s life throughout the book, though there are many other of her family members, friends, scientists and doctors as well as previous researchers who contributed as best as they could. Henritta Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant in 1920 in Virginia. She was raised in Clover by her grandfather Tommy Lacks. The Lacks were poor tobacco farmers. Henrietta married her cousin David “Day� Lacks in 1941, after their first two children were born. Soon Henrietta and David along with their children moved to Baltimore, Maryland so David could work at a steel mill. Henrietta had five children: Lawrence, Elsie (deaf and dumb, eventually placed in an institution after being diagnosed with ‘idiocy� and died at age 16) David “Sonny� Jr. Deborah and Joseph, who later changed his name to Zakriyya. These were the members of Henrietta’s family, along with her husband David, who provided most of the information about Henrietta and her family to Rebecca Skloot as she was writing her book. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer by a Dr. Howard W. Jones at Johns Hopkins hospital. Later that year, she died as the cancer became more and more critical and eventually spread throughout her entire body. Her cause of death was the toxins in her body which were unable to be excreted due the tumours in her urethra. When Henrietta was diagnosed with cancer, the doctors misdiagnosed her cancer as a mild form when in fact it was incredibly serious. The hospital treated her with radiation. During these radiation treatments, a piece of her cervix was cut out without her permission or knowledge. The part of her cervix that was taken out was both healthy and cancerous and was given to a researcher and doctor named George Gey. Gey discovered that the cells from Henrietta’s tumour did something he had never seen cultured cells do before: they could be kept alive and they could grow. This was essential to scientific research because before Henrietta’s cells, scientists found it extremely difficult to keep cells alive, which was compromising their research. Gey managed to start a cell line using Henrietta’s cells, which he named HeLa after the first two letters of her first and last name. The cells were extremely helpful to the medical industry and were becoming globally recognised, especially after being used to test the vaccine for polio in 1954. HeLa cells were soon in demand by scientists from all around the world to be in anything from testing human sensitivity to certain substances, to gene mapping and even finding a cure for AIDS. The Lacks family had no idea about Henrietta’s cells being a multi-billion dollar industry. As Gey named the cells HeLa, nobody knew who the woman behind the cells really was. Eventually, a journalist managed to get Gey’s permission to inform the world about Henrietta. Soon the Lacks family began to get phonecalls and visits from journalists and reporters, as well as other scientists, looking for their genetic connections and if their cells would react in the same way Henrietta’s cancer cells did. The Lacks family was very upset about the fact that Henrietta’s cells had been taken without her permission or their knowledge as well as the fact that they were barely able to afford food to keep them going for the next day, yet companies worldwide were making millions and millions of dollars off these cells. Rebecca Skloot helped them tell their side of the story to the world, which meant a lot to them, especially to Henrietta’s daughter Deborah who was deeply affected by the entire situation. Unfortunately Deborah passed away before the book was published and was unable to see her mother’s story being published to the world, but the other Lacks members were definitely grateful that they finally got a chance to speak up and be recognised. I think this book was amazing. It was really interesting to learn about both Henrietta’s life as well as the contributions that her cells made to the medical world. Her family suffered a lot and I think by writing and publishing such a book, Rebecca Skloot raised both raised awareness for and informed everyone about the woman behind the “immortal� cells. ...more
Bersi B: I found Emotional Intelligence to be both insightful and fun to read! The language was frank, easy to read and the content was not that hard Bersi B: I found Emotional Intelligence to be both insightful and fun to read! The language was frank, easy to read and the content was not that hard to digest. I had heard most of the ideas that the book presented before reading it, but never heard the ideas articulated in the same 'scientific' manner in which it was in the novel. Emotional Intelligence, to my understanding before I read the book was something that was used to show that IQ's weren't a good indicator of intelligence, and therefore irrelevant . However, in my readings I found that not only was my assumption wrong, but a generic stereotype towards alternative theories that show that a high IQ score is 'not all that matters'. Daniel Goleman illustrated these theories with plentiful examples and scenarios in which emotional intelligence would prove to be more if not as important as a high IQ. The author showed how different levels of emotional intelligence can affect the way people work , in school or work, and most importantly how emotional intelligence affects relationships that people may have. Overall I feel that this book was a great summer read, as well as an informational text that has truly inspired my thoughts on intelligence, and its relevance in comparison to emotional intelligence.
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