tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667116946377253622.post5344357627083381473..comments2023-05-24T08:54:14.373-04:00Comments on Lady Atheist: Book Review: The Believing Brain by Michael ShermerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667116946377253622.post-2268072718847050882012-07-31T04:52:40.593-04:002012-07-31T04:52:40.593-04:00Interesting, but I think his focus is on results o...Interesting, but I think his focus is on results of research that's been completed rather than speculation. He discusses what is known rather than what is not known, based on research. The scope and tone of the book is descriptive, so I don't think your criticism is relevant. He did what he set out to do: describe the belief systems of the brain as recent research has revealed. It's a book meant for popular consumption, so I would forgive him for leaving out neurochemistry (if that's what you mean)<br /><br />Cultural influences are important, I agree, but without a brain primed to accept them (or to create them) they would have no power.<br /><br />When you say "different" what do you mean? Different from what?LadyAtheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12132821431322748921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667116946377253622.post-44638876486850678472012-07-31T04:02:14.822-04:002012-07-31T04:02:14.822-04:00While I agree with you about much of the book, Mic...While I agree with you about much of the book, Michael avoids mentioning an important gap in the science of the brain, which needs to be filled – because it potentially allows room for the religious to claim that God and the soul fills the gap.<br /><br />The gap exists between the neuron and the cultural learning which leads us to make decisions about the world and assign agency (both real and imagined). Basically Michael provides no theory to show how, at the biological level of the brain, the neurons work to take patterns and construct cultural models of the world we believe we live in. I am trying to model what happens in this gap - working from the starting point that our basic brain mechanisms are identical to animals. The human brain is merely an animal brain working in a supercharged mode, aided with more memory and more neural connections, and which can be explained in evolutionary terms. In particular there is a special tipping point that, once reached, would cause an explosion of “mental power”. Michael makes the assumption that human brains are different without explaining the differences – except in descriptive observations which say nothing about the mechanisms. By analogy, it is as if he said that a clock was full of circular bits of metal with toothed edges, and struck the hour when the long hand pointed to 12 – and assumed that this was an adequate explanation of how a clock worked.<br /><br />If you want to know a bit more about my ideas for “filling the gap” see my review – The Black Hole in the Believing Brain at http://trapped-by-the-box.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-black-hole-in-believing-brain.htmlChris Reynoldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04649202643490746910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667116946377253622.post-22895248714351505352012-07-03T23:04:52.646-04:002012-07-03T23:04:52.646-04:00I look forward to your take on it. Perhaps he'...I look forward to your take on it. Perhaps he'll write a book on libertarianism next... if he can find some actual justification for it outside of Ayn Rand fandom.LadyAtheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12132821431322748921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667116946377253622.post-51052754935614061772012-07-03T15:49:14.066-04:002012-07-03T15:49:14.066-04:00Glad to read your positive views on this book, sin...Glad to read your positive views on this book, since my own copy just arrived on my doorstep in UK about 3 days ago, parcelled and shipped from USA at a very competitive price.<br /><br />I can tell that you believe in Michael Schermer - at the moment I think the same. It will be interesting to see whether my views have changed by this time next month after I complete my 'holiday reading'. :)Plasma Engineerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02891736950166421184noreply@blogger.com