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What Makes You Tick: The Brain in Plain English
 
 
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What Makes You Tick: The Brain in Plain English [Paperback]

Thomas B. Czerner (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Book Description

0471209902 978-0471209904 January 21, 2002
What is consciousness?

Is there really such a thing as free will?

Is there a physiological basis for an eternal soul?

In What Makes You Tick?, Thomas Czerner's elegant and accessible introduction to brain research, you'll encounter the scientists and discoveries that have exponentially increased our knowledge of the brain and its functions, most significantly in the last few years. Here, Czerner has translated the arcane language of scientific journals into a highly readable Baedeker of the brain, outlining all that is known about the modern brain and the amazing promise this understanding holds for the future.

In addition to tracing the vast web of cerebral roadways, Czerner deftly follows the larger historical detective story that stars neurologists and their forebears, from philosophers Descartes and Kant, to twentieth-century polymaths Francis Crick and Edwin Land, to computer scientists, who have found that the brain's parallel circuitry offers an ideal design model for microprocessors.

By shining a light on the darkest recesses of our own minds, What Makes You Tick? illuminates the greatest gifts the world of science bestows, in addition to touching on the ethical dilemmas facing us as we begin to alter ourselves on the cellular level. Above all, What Makes You Tick? will forever change the way you think about thinking.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a highly recommended, enjoyable book on a fascinating subject. Certainly one for the present list of a friend or relative..." (M2 Best Books, 16 September 2002)

From the Author

I wrote "What Makes You Tick?" for any curious reader who has ever wondered, as I have, what goes on in the brain, how we have come to learn its secrets, and how these discoveries might affect our future. This is a detective story, not a textbook, and I have kept it short. It grew from a strong desire to give perspective and context to the exciting advances in brain research that are appearing with increasing frequency on the nightly news. I began by translating research reports from the language of the laboratory into plain English. Soon, I found that I was writing about medical miracles, ethical dilemmas, the biomechanics of behavior, new concepts of the mind --- in short, about nothing less than the scientific search for the soul. Even if science classes once bored you silly, I believe that you will enjoy solving the mystery of how you see, feel, think, and act. You will see how we are beginning to tinker with the building blocks of human nature. We will soon be able to eradicate brain disease, to enhance desired mental abilities, and to eliminate undesired behavioral traits. "What Makes You Tick?" is a useful primer for what I believe will become the story of the century. We are approaching a new frontier --- and it is us!

Tom Czerner, M.D. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley (January 21, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471209902
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471209904
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,098,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Neuronal electrochemical music explained in words, December 9, 2000
Contrary to conventional wisdown, thousands of new neurons arrive at your frontal lobes every day. Our daily experiences can literally change our mind, rerouting paths which were once believed to be hard-wired. As the author puts it (pg 3), "Sadly, reports of this research are relished almost exclusively by a small community of neuroscientists." And as he quotes (pg 173) Daniel Dennett , "vision requires expectations". A professor of Ophtalmology in San Francisco, his writing is not only clear and vivid, but also his breadth of knowledge and his insights are among the things that makes this book a delight to read. There will be so many fascinating things you will learn from this book that I could hardly recommend it more. Your neuronal paths will not remain the same.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What makes you tick?, December 11, 2000
By 
Mary Beth Starzel (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Dr. Czerner brings us up to date about the discoveries and theories laymen need to understand about the brain. The fascinating result is just what he promises, that we can never think the same way again about how the brain thinks. Indeed, there is much more mechanical stuff there than is to be believed. He interweaves a lot of difficult science with a light touch and friendly air. All scientists and science writers need to learn to write like this, taking the jargon out while preserving the mysteries, miracles, and majesty of the brain and the neuro-scientists who have learned so much about it during the past fifty years.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, practical and entertaining, June 25, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: What Makes You Tick: The Brain in Plain English (Paperback)
For quite some time I have been searching for a book that explains 'how' the brain works in simple although not simplistic terms. Too many books spend too much time on tangents of debatable psychology or hotly contentious theories currently in vogue. This book hits the nail on the head. It provides enough historical information to put the subject matter in context. It describes enough of the current theories to give the reader an idea of the current state of research. It uses wit and humour in such a way as to make the subject matter easy to relate to. It answers the questions such as 'what exactly happens when we see things' by following the chain of events from the point at which a photon reaches our eye and then provides an understandable, yet scientific / biological / mechanical explanation of the series of events that follow. Significant detail (down to the molecular level) is provided without boring the reader and is also presented in the context of 'the big picture'. Other science writers should read this book and learn from Czerner's writing style. A tasteful blend of biology, chemistry, psychology, philosophy and wit. This book will make you want to read more on the subject. My only disappointment is that Czerner hasn't published more!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
I WAS IN MEDICAL SCHOOL in 1960, studying the ingenious operation and interplay of the organ systems. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
glion cells, graded potentials, makes you tick
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nobel Prize, Phineas Gage, Stephen Kuffler, George Wald, Albert Einstein, University of California, Harvard University, John Dowling, Polaroid Corporation, Rudolpho Llinás, San Francisco, Santiago Ramón, United States
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