The Self Beyond Itself: An Alternative History of Ethics, the New Brain Sciences, and the Myth of Free WillNew Press, The, 16 sep 2014 - 256 pagina's "Intertwines history, philosophy, and science . . . A powerful challenge to conventional notions of individual responsibility" ( Publishers Weekly). Few concepts are more unshakable in our culture than free will, the idea that individuals are fundamentally in control of the decisions they make, good or bad. And yet the latest research about how the brain functions seems to point in the opposite direction . . . In a work of breathtaking intellectual sweep and erudition, Heidi M. Ravven offers a riveting and accessible review of cutting-edge neuroscientific research into the brain's capacity for decision-making—from "mirror" neurons and "self-mapping" to surprising new understandings of group psychology. The Self Beyond Itself also introduces readers to a rich, alternative philosophical tradition of ethics, rooted in the writing of Baruch Spinoza, that finds uncanny confirmation in modern science. Illustrating the results of today's research with real-life examples, taking readers from elementary school classrooms to Nazi concentration camps, Ravven demonstrates that it is possible to build a theory of ethics that doesn't rely on free will yet still holds both individuals and groups responsible for the decisions that help create a good society. The Self Beyond Itself is that rare book that injects new ideas into an old debate—and "an important contribution to the development of our thinking about morality" ( Washington Independent Review of Books). "An intellectual hand-grenade . . . A magisterial survey of how contemporary neuroscience supports a vision of human morality which puts it squarely on the same plane as other natural phenomena." —William D. Casebeer, author of Natural Ethical Facts |
Inhoudsopgave
Rescuers | |
Why We Are and Are Not Ethical | |
The Blessing and Curse of Neuroplasticity Interpretation | |
What We Can Learn from the New Brain Sciences About | |
Overige edities - Alles bekijken
The Self Beyond Itself: An Alternative History of Ethics, the New Brain ... Heidi Ravven Gedeeltelijke weergave - 2013 |
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actions Adam al-Farabi Arabic argues Aristotelian Aristotle Augustine Augustinian basic behavior beliefs body brain capacity causal causes character education choice Christian claim cognitive framing compatibilism compatibilist complex adaptive systems conatus conscious context cultural Damasio decision Descartes desire divine effect emotions engaged environment ethics evidence evil evolutionary example experiment explain feeling functions hardwired hence Holocaust human nature Ibid individual innate institutions intellectual interpretation Jewish Jews Kant kind Maimonides means mental Milgram Milgram experiments mind mirror neurons moral agency moral education moral judgment moral psychology moral responsibility motivation murder Nazi Neoplatonic neural neurons neuroplasticity Neuroscience Nevertheless norm notion one’s ourselves Panksepp perception person philosophical political principles prisoners processes rational reason says scientific selfiness sense Sinnott-Armstrong situation social soul Spinoza Stanford Prison Experiment story subjects theoretical theory things thinking thought transformation turn unconscious understanding University values virtue Zimbardo