Friday February 11, 2005 An Alchemy of Mind
An Alchemy of Mind : The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain - Diane Ackerman (2004)
** 1/2 (out of 5)
Diance Ackerman has a reputation for bridging art and science by writing about scientific subjects with a poetic spirit. An Alchemy of Mind is her latest offering. The subject of this work is cognitive science and neuroscience. Memory, language, emotions, and the notion of self are all treated with in Alchemy.
Ackerman's work is certainly not a scholarly science text. It can be more accurately characterized as a series of poetic essays containing her somewhat informed thoughts on the subject matter. Put bluntly and concisely, An Alchemy of Mind is long on style and short on science.
Ackerman's prose is often beautiful and occasionally captivating. Her use of imagery and metaphor, while not always effective, is impressive. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book to folks wishing to become more informed about neuroscience. It is simply too scantily researched (a peek at the biliography supports this accusation), too disjoint, and too factually inaccurate in places.
Recommended Instead:
- Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life - Steven Johnson (2004)
( Feb 11 2005, 11:19:32 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]
Word of the Day
noun - a concomitant sensation; especially : a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
( Feb 11 2005, 11:10:26 PM PST )
Permalink
Comments [0]