An Alchemy of Mind

The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain

Browse Return to Previous Page       Related Subjects All Subjects History & Philosophy of Science Science

by Diane Ackerman

Scribner

Due/Published September 2005, 320 pages, paper

ISBN 0743246748

New in paper (F05)

An Alchemy of Mind offers an exploration and celebration of the mental fantasia in which we spend our days -- and does for the human mind what Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses did for the physical senses.Ackerman discusses the science of the brain and, in addition to explaining memory, thought, emotion, dreams, and language acquisition, reports on the latest discoveries in neuroscience and addresses controversial subjects like the effects of trauma and male versus female brains. She distills the hard, objective truths of science in order to yield heavily anecdotal explanations about a range of questions regarding consciousness, human thought, memory, and the nature of identity.