PHANTOMS IN THE BRAIN

I have heard V. S. Ramachandran MD., PhD., many times on the science channel, Beyond Belief etc. A while back he, along with Sandra Blakeslee, wrote on a book called Phantoms in the Brain, Probing The Mysteries of the Human Mind. Ramachandran is at U.C. in San Diego and is one of the foremost researchers in neurology. His credentials are impressive, Professor and Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition. Blakeslee is an awarding winning science writer from the New York Times. From phantom leg syndrome and neglect syndromes to questions about the meaning of self and consciousness, interspersed with humor and solid science it is a tour de force. It is evident that evolution is in control of our brain development. But when he gave a cautious nod to Deepak Chopa and Andrew Weil I sighed and moaned that could such a clear thinker of the science of neurology be really bowing to woo? I could see some of his point, but it has been shown by responsible science and skeptic blogs that those two are about as woo driven as can be. I would recommend the book for its good science and remarkable insights into how our human brains work, but I cannot put it into the recommend read lists for the reasons sighted.

Peace
Skeptical Dodo