Synopsis
As a professor who has taught cognitive science at both MIT and Harvard, Steven Pinker has been faced with the daunting challenge of trying to explain the principles of intelligence and thought to some of the most astute minds in the world. In this extraordinary book, he uses that experience to de-mystify the brain for the rest of us, in terms which are remarkably lucid and coherent. Pinker examines the mind from an evolutionary point of view, by considering that its primary purpose has been to help humans adapt to their changing environment over time. He shows how many of the inherent quirks of our behavior, such as laughter, pattern recognition, identity construction, the creation of art, and the pursuit of love, which at first seem superfluous to pure survival, are actually evidence of the process of natural selection as it shapes our brain. Pinker's seminal work of popular cognitive science is an essential text for anyone interested in better understanding themselves, and their desire and ability to understand anything in the first place.
In this accessible analysis, a psychologist merges cognitive science and biology to examine the brain's evolution and the quirks of human nature.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2000-01-01 | | Edition Description: | Abridged |
| Size | | Height: | 7.3 in | | Width: | 4.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 8.8 oz |
Publisher's Note
In this book, Steven Pinker explains what the mind is, how it evolved, and how it allows us to see, think, feel, laugh, interact, enjoy the arts, and ponder the mysteries of life. How the Mind Works explains many of the imponderables of everyday life. Why does a face look more attractive with makeup? How do "Magic-Eye" 3-D stereograms work? Why do we feel that a run of heads makes the coin more likely to land tails? Why is the thought of eating worms disgusting? Why do men challenge each other to duels and murder their ex-wives? Why are children bratty? Why do fools fall in love? Why are we soothed by paintings and music? And why do puzzles like the self, free will, and consciousness leave us dizzy? The arguments in the book are as bold as its title. Pinker rehabilitates unfashionable ideas, such as that the mind is a computer and that human nature was shaped by natural selection. And he challenges fashionable ones, such as that passionate emotions are irrational, that parents socialize their children, that creativity springs from the unconscious, that nature is good and modern society corrupting, and that art and religion are expressions of our higher spiritual yearnings.
Industry Reviews
"His [Pinker] new book is large, wide-ranging, attractively written, and generally well-argued. In some ways it is almost too good..."
New Republic - Colin McGinn (02/23/1998)
"Here, the director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at MIT widens his scope, explaining the structure of the mind in much of its emotional, perceptive, sexual, problem-solving splendor."
Korn
"A model of scientific writing: erudite, witty, and clear."
Jussim
"An authoritative synthesis of cognitive science, which looks at the mind as a system for processing information, and evolutionary psychology, which looks at the mind the as Darwin would. As such, the book marks out the territory on which the coming century's debate about human nature will be held."
Cooper
"An ideal introduction to a new view of human nature, one that is likely to gain in influence over time; it's an important book even for those who don't share Pinker's conclusions."
Hafner
"How the Mind Works is, in many respects, a substantial achievement. Pinker assembles a sizeable set of studies, theories and broader approaches from a number of fields and uses the key claims of evolutionary psychology to link and integrate them."
Smith
"...the fun of Pinker's book is his attempt to deduce human psychology from the assumption that our minds are adaptations for transmitting our genes."
London Review of Books - Jerry Fodor (01/22/1998)
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