Descartes' error : emotion, reason, and the human brain

Bibliographic Information

Descartes' error : emotion, reason, and the human brain

Antonio R. Damasio

Papermac, 1996

Search this Book/Journal
Note

"First published as a Grosset/Putnam book 1994 by G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York"--T.p. verso

Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-297) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Descartes' Error offers the scientific basis for ending the division between mind and body. Antonio Damasio contends that rational decisions are not the product of logic alone - they require the support of emotion and feeling. Drawing on his experience with neurological patients affected with brain damage, Dr Damasio shows how absence of emotions and feelings can break down rationality. He also offers a new perspective on what emotions and feelings actually are: a direct view of our own body states; a link between the body and its survival-oriented regulation on the one hand, and consciousness on the other. Written as a conversation between the author and an imaginary listener, Descartes' Error leads us to conclude that human organisms are endowed from their very beginning with a spirited passion for making choices, which the social mind can then use to build rational behaviour.

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details
Page Top