-
Phantoms in the Brain
- Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
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Publisher's summary
Neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran is internationally renowned for uncovering answers to the deep and quirky questions of human nature that few scientists have dared to address. His bold insights about the brain are matched only by the stunning simplicity of his experiments - using such low-tech tools such as cotton swabs, glasses of water, and dime-store mirrors.
In Phantoms in the Brain, Dr. Ramachandran recounts how his work with patients who have bizarre neurological disorders has shed new light on the deep architecture of the brain, and what these findings tell us about who we are, how we construct our body image, why we laugh or become depressed, why we may believe in God, and how we make decisions, deceive ourselves, and dream.
Some of his most notable cases: A woman paralyzed on the left side of her body who believes she is lifting a tray of drinks with both hands offers a unique opportunity to test Freud's theory of denial. A man who insists he is talking with God challenges us to ask: Could we be "wired" for religious experience? A woman who hallucinates cartoon characters illustrates how, in a sense, we are all hallucinating, all the time.
Dr. Ramachandran's inspired medical detective work pushes the boundaries of medicine's last great frontier-the human mind-yielding new and provocative insights into the "big questions" about consciousness and the self.
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Story
Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.
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I rarely stop reading a book halfway through...
- By Rusty on 09-04-15
By: Oliver Sacks
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Consciousness and the Brain
- Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts
- By: Stanislas Dehaene
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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How does the brain generate a conscious thought? And why does so much of our knowledge remain unconscious? Thanks to clever psychological and brain-imaging experiments, scientists are closer to cracking this mystery than ever before. In this lively book, Stanislas Dehaene describes the pioneering work his lab and the labs of other cognitive neuroscientists worldwide have accomplished in defining, testing, and explaining the brain events behind a conscious state.
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I had no idea we knew this much.
- By Tristan on 01-18-16
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The Biology of Desire
- Why Addiction Is Not a Disease
- By: Marc Lewis PhD
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease based on evidence that brains change with drug use. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do - seek pleasure and relief - in a world that's not cooperating.
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An important addition to understanding addiction.
- By Jeff M on 02-28-16
By: Marc Lewis PhD
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The Man Who Knew Infinity
- A Life of the Genius Ramanujan
- By: Robert Kanigel
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1913, an unschooled young Indian clerk wrote a letter to G. H. Hardy, begging that preeminent English mathematician's opinion on several ideas he had about numbers. Hardy, realizing the letter was the work of a genius, arranged for Srinivasa Ramanujan to come to England. Thus began one of the most remarkable collaborations ever chronicled.
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Thorough and Enjoyable
- By Roger on 05-23-08
By: Robert Kanigel
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The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce
- A 25-Year Landmark Study
- By: Judith Wallerstein, Julia Lewis, Sandra Blakeslee
- Narrated by: Kate McIntire
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
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Using a comparison group of adults who grew up in the same communities but whose parents never divorced, Wallerstein shows how adult children of divorce essentially view life differently from their peers in intact homes, and also sheds light on the question that so many parents confront: whether to stay unhappily married or to divorce. This book is a landmark cultural event that will change the way all of us view divorce.
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A must for understanding
- By Angela on 07-07-08
By: Judith Wallerstein, and others
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The Moral Animal
- Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Greg Thornton
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.
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Ridiculously Insightful
- By Liron on 10-25-10
By: Robert Wright
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Consciousness, 2nd Edition
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Susan Blackmore
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Naqvi
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing the debates on these issues, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. This controversial book clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, while also outlining the amazing pace of discoveries in neuroscience. Covering areas such as the construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, the neural correlates of consciousness, and the physiology of altered states of consciousness, Susan Blackmore highlights our latest findings.
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Great Book, Great Narration
- By Malcolm Broderick on 07-26-24
By: Susan Blackmore
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A Way of Being
- By: Carl R. Rogers, Irvin D. Yalom MD - introduction
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement and father of client-centered therapy, based his life's work on his fundamental belief in the human potential for growth. A Way of Being was written in the early 1980s, near the end of Carl Rogers's career, and serves as a coda to his classic On Becoming a Person. More philosophical than his earlier writings, it traces his professional and personal development and ends with a prophetic call for a more humane future.
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Read before On Being
- By Anonymous on 01-28-19
By: Carl R. Rogers, and others
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The Journey Toward Wholeness
- Enneagram Wisdom for Stress, Balance, and Transformation
- By: Suzanne Stabile
- Narrated by: Suzanne Stabile
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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For those who want to dive deeper into Enneagram wisdom, expert teacher Suzanne Stabile opens the concept of three Centers of Intelligence: thinking, feeling, and doing. When we learn to manage these centers, each for its intended purpose, we open a path to reducing fear, improving relationships, growing spiritually, and finding wholeness. Drawing on the dynamic stability of the Enneagram, she explains each number's preferred and repressed Center of Intelligence and its role in helping us move toward internal balance.
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One of the best Enneagram books for transformation
- By Beth and Paul Gray on 06-19-22
By: Suzanne Stabile
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Being You
- A New Science of Consciousness
- By: Anil Seth
- Narrated by: Anil Seth
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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What does it mean to “be you” - that is, to have a specific, conscious experience of the world around you and yourself within it? There may be no more elusive or fascinating question. Historically, humanity has considered the nature of consciousness to be a primarily spiritual or philosophical inquiry, but scientific research is now mapping out compelling biological theories and explanations for consciousness and selfhood.
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Not engaging, nothing new
- By Tristan on 11-22-21
By: Anil Seth
What listeners say about Phantoms in the Brain
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tristan
- 12-12-17
Very Interesting but...
This book was very interesting. There were some parts that were difficult to follow but overall it made sense.
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- Make War
- 04-26-21
Narrator is not the greatest
Story and content are great. The narrator can’t seem to pronounce several words properly and has a strange way of speaking. Very off-putting. He also tries to dramatize conversations and does a bad job at that, too.
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- Kathy in CA
- 07-18-14
Really fascinating stuff!
Ramachandran addresses various neurological disorders and oddities with his own insights into how these problems might arise. He discusses the roles of the different sides of the brain and how injuries or defects in various structures can affect the patient in really diverse and odd ways. He describes cases of patients who are in denial of a paralyzed limb, those who have lost awareness of the left side of their bodies, those who are savants, those who have religious experiences during epileptic episodes along with many other interesting and some times controversial topics.
Ramachandran is a brilliant neuroscientist who has a very inquisitive and curious mind which leads him to ask questions that other scientists avoid such as the role of the brain in religion or multiple personality disorder. Just the fact that he is not afraid to explore these ideas makes this book even more interesting for me. Much of the presented information is based not only on the brain's physiology but also the author's theories. Often he performs simple accompanying experiments which usually provide support for his theories.
The narration is excellent. I highly recommend this book if brain biology, physiology, disorders, and functioning are of interest to you.
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9 people found this helpful
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- annakc
- 10-06-18
Drawn out, listen at increased speed
Struggled to finish. Too many literary embellishments and repetitions, could have been shorter and more straightforward. Clinical cases and questions raised are very interesting. As a neurologist, I can see this is clearly written for the general audience and frequently too basic for a physician. Fun aspect for me - I'm at UCSD currently and recognized the places and neurologists he mentions in the book. Great discussion about the "self".
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- Nick
- 04-05-18
Enthralling Concepts
The abnormalities described in this book provide insight into the overall sense of the function and utility of the brain. Dr. Ramachandran and Ms. Blakeslee’s writing is both clear and inviting. I found myself sharing stories from this book with everyone around me. I took to contemplating the ramifications of each neurological structure for hours after each visit to this book. If you are curious about the brain or even just want fascinating medical stories, this book is perfect. Moreover, it gives insight to who humans are and what it really means to be a person. If you are someone who has ever puzzled the deep philosophical questions of life, you are in for a treat.
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- Kate
- 03-13-15
Unique Neuroscience from a Unique Neuroscientist
I studied Dr. Ramachandran's work during my undergraduate degree. In the flood of scientists and peer review, his work stood out enough that even years later I was still talking about some of his theories. When I saw his name attached to this book, I purchased it without hesitation.
Dr. Ramachandran's work in neuroscience is stunning. Once you hear it, you can't believe that we ever thought anything different. He draws beautiful, wide connections across the brain and simultaneously across theories of the brain. And after doing so, he distills it all down to plain language, communicating his ideas effortlessly.
Neil Shah does an excellent job on this one. I have nothing negative to say about his performance.
I finished weeks ago and I'm still talking about pseudocyesis and its link to social norms, among other interesting facts that I learned from this book. If you have any interest in the brain, it is well worth the time.
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4 people found this helpful
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- VICAR
- 03-25-15
excelente
es mas que recomendable disfrute su lectura y análisis y correlato clínicos debemos leerlo
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- elton
- 03-15-24
Totally awesome!
I enjoyed the little jokes and the amazing studies made on the human brain is fascinating, I loved that there was some conversation about eastern philosophy and western approach
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- Nawal Nawras
- 05-01-18
My small brain!
Even my very small and little educated brain found this to be a fantastic read (actually hear as I had this on audible). I admit I had to rewind loads of times not to just figure out what was being told but because I was so fascinated with what I was learning I often found myself in bars a beer in hand beaming or LOL at the astonishing mysteries of the brain.
I’ve read Tale Tell and can’t get enough of this field would love recommendations!!!
I loved this!
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6 people found this helpful
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- Eduarda Oliveira
- 06-24-24
This book made me decide on becoming a neurologist.
Since my last year of high school I wanted to become a neurologist. However, the way neurology is presented in medical school made me forget what was there that fascinated me so much. I was caught up in indecision, thinking I had created false expectations on it, and it was nothing like what I thought it was. This book solved that. It showed me that for those who want to see it, neurology proposes the most exhilarating questions.
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