The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience

基本信息

Format:Hardback 496 pages

Publisher:Basic Books

Imprint:Basic Books

ISBN:9781541646858

Published:21 Apr 2020

Weight:699g

Dimensions:164 x 244 x 50 (mm)

Language:English

页面参数仅供参考，具体以实物为准

书籍简介

诗人艾米莉·狄金森称头脑比天空更辽阔，比海洋更深邃，与上帝等重。描述大脑这一器官的难度之高，让科学家一再搬出各种隐喻，有的比作统治，有的比作地图、基础设施网络和电信；还有的比作机器、机器人、计算机和互联网。这些类比贴近实际，形象丰富。然而，或许因为这些类比太常见了，我们用来理解大脑的隐喻常常被忽略。我们忘了它们只是描述符，误把它们看作自然属性。

这种隐患也是生物学家兼历史学家Matthew Cobb在这本《大脑的构思》里的讲述核心。这部思想史浩卷记录了从古至今对大脑理解的演变——主要以西方思想为主。Cobb概述了隐喻对于指示和解释神经科学研究的作用性为何面临越来越大的挑战。他以令人耳目一新的谦逊姿态，坦承今日之科学离破解大脑做什么和怎么做，还有十万八千里远，更不要说是否存在可与之相提并论的事物了。

Cobb告诉读者，对于每个时代的主流叙事者来说，关于大脑的概念向来是建立在现有的道德、哲学和技术框架之上的。17世纪，法国哲学家勒奈·笛卡尔想象动物大脑的运作是依靠液压机械，他还坚信具有神性的心智有别于物质。笛卡尔之后，以医生兼哲学家拉美特利为代表的18世纪权威把这种概念进一步世俗化，将人比作机器。意大利物理学家亚历山德罗·伏打拒不接受他的对手路易吉·加尔瓦尼提出的“动物电”（animal electricity）理论，不认同“动物电”是赋予有机物质生命的关键力量。伏打的研究动力至少有部分是源于他对这种机械论的反感。

新的隐喻来自19世纪的颅相学、演化理论以及生理学的抑制学说——抑制学说认为神经系统可以抑制行动和行为。之后进入通信时代，形容大脑的全新语言体系再次孕育而生。

喜欢Brian Christian和Tom Griffiths的《算法之美：指导工作与生活的算法》读者不容错过。

An "elegant", "engrossing" (Carol Tavris, Wall Street Journal) examination of what we think we know about the brain and why -- despite technological advances -- the workings of our most essential organ remain a mystery.

"I cannot recommend this book strongly enough."--Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm

For thousands of years, thinkers and scientists have tried to understand what the brain does. Yet, despite the astonishing discoveries of science, we still have only the vaguest idea of how the brain works. In The Idea of the Brain, scientist and historian Matthew Cobb traces how our conception of the brain has evolved over the centuries. Although it might seem to be a story of ever-increasing knowledge of biology, Cobb shows how our ideas about the brain have been shaped by each era's most significant technologies. Today we might think the brain is like a supercomputer. In the past, it has been compared to a telegraph, a telephone exchange, or some kind of hydraulic system. What will we think the brain is like tomorrow, when new technology arises? The result is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex processes that drive science and the forces that have shaped our marvelous brains.

作者简介

马修·科布，曼彻斯特大学动物学教授，著有近40部著作。他的前一本书《人生最大秘密》入围英国皇家学会温顿图书奖。

Matthew Cobb is a professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester, where he studies olfaction, insect behavior, and the history of science. He earned his PhD in psychology and genetics from the University of Sheffield. He is the author of five books: Life's Greatest Secret, Generation, The Resistance, Eleven Days in August, and Smell: A Very Short Introduction. He lives in England.