My brain made me do it
Subtitle: the rise of neuroscience and the threat to moral responsibility
By: by Eliezer J. Sternberg.
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Amherst, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 244
ISBN-13: 9781616141653
Subjects: Free will and determinism; Responsibility; Ethics; Neurosciences
Description: "As scientists continue to explore how the brain works, using ever more sophisticated technology, it seems likely that new findings will radically alter the traditional understanding of human nature. One aspect of human nature that is already being questioned by recent developments in neuroscience is free will. Do our decisions arise from purely mechanistic processes? Is our feeling of self-control merely an illusion created by our brains? If so, what will become of free will and moral responsibility?" "These thorny questions and many more are examined with great clarity and insight in this engaging exploration of neuroscience's potential impact on moral responsibility. Author Eliezer J. Sternberg delves into a host of fascinating topics, including: the parts of the brain that scientists believe are involved in the exercise of will; what Parkinson's, Tourette's, and schizophrenia reveal about our ability to control our actions; whether a future of criminal behavior is determined by brain chemistry; and how self-reflective consciousness may have evolved from a largely deterministic brain." "Using illustrative examples from philosophy, mythology, history, and criminology, and with thorough discussions of actual scientific experiments, Eliezer J. Sternberg explores the threat of neuroscience to moral responsibility as he attempts to answer the question: Are we truly in control of our actions?"--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The mischievous neuron; title: The shadow of determinism; title: The essential freedom; title: A tempest in the brain; title: Neurological disturbance; title: The seat of the will; title: The somatic-marker hypothesis; title: The readiness potential; title: The grand illusion; title: Neuronal destiny; title: The revolution of the brain; title: Seeds of corruption; title: Morality's end; title: The depths of consciousness; title: A challenge for experience; title: The boundlessness of reason; title: Rise of the moral agent; title: The palace of the mind.