Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 464 pages
• Published by: Ecco June 24, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0060892889
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0060892883
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Weighs: 3.2 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. As wide-ranging as it is deep, and as entertaining as it is informative, the latest offering from UC–Santa Barbara neuroscientist Gazzaniga (The Ethical Brain) will please a diverse array of readers. He is adept at aiding even the scientifically unsophisticated to grasp his arguments about what separates humans from other animals. His main premise is that human brains are not only proportionately greater than those of other primates but have a number of distinct structures, which he explores along with evolutionary explanations for their existence. For instance, a direct outgrowth of the size and structure of the human brain, along with their origins in the complexity of human social groups, was the development of language, self-awareness and ethics. (Gazzaniga offers some surprising comments on the evolution of religion and its relation to morals.) Throughout, Gazzaniga addresses the nature of consciousness, and by comparing the intellectual capabilities of a host of animals (chimps, dogs, birds and rats, among others) with those of human babies, children and adults, he shows what we all share as well as what humans alone possess. (July)
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Product Review
"A savvy, witty guide to neuroscience today." -- Kirkus Reviews

"As wide-ranging as it is deep, and as entertaining as it is informative, the latest offering from UC–Santa Barbara neuroscientist Gazzaniga (The Ethical Brain) will please a diverse array of readers. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The book is an intellectual romp through the cognitive neurosciences . . . a rich testimony to the incredible accomplishments of the human brain in coming to understand itself." -- New York Sun

"The book is an intellectual romp through the cognitive neurosciences a rich testimony to the incredible accomplishments of the human brain in coming to understand itself." -- New York Sun

Reader Reviews
This is a comprehensive and readable account of what we know thus far--about ourselves. Human is a compendium of thought-provoking research concerning what makes us unique as a species, as well as what connects us to all other living things. Gazzaniga does not shy from celebrating human life, giving credit to nature where credit is due. We are complex beyond measure. It is amazing how much information the author can relay while still remaining accessible and downright fun. The Brain's the thing!