Who's in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain

by Michael S. Gazzaniga

Overview

"Gazzaniga is a giant in cognitive neuroscience . . . [He] advances a fascinating argument that both limits and contextualizes brain research." —Forbes.com
The author of Human, Michael S. Gazzaniga has been called the "father of cognitive neuroscience." In his remarkable book, Who's in Charge?, he makes a powerful and provocative argument that counters the common wisdom that our lives are wholly determined by physical processes we cannot control. His well-reasoned case against the idea that we live in a "determined" world is fascinating and liberating, solidifying his place among the likes of Oliver Sacks, Antonio Damasio, V. S. Ramachandran, and other bestselling science authors exploring the mysteries of the human brain.
"This exciting, stimulating, and sometimes even funny book challenges us to think in new ways about that most mysterious part of us—the part that makes us think we're us." —Alan Alda, actor and host of Scientific American Frontiers
"Written by one of the broadest thinkers in psychology . . . An intellectual feast." —Jonathan Haidt, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Righteous Mind
"Gazzaniga is one of the most brilliant experimental neuroscientists in the world." —Tom Wolfe
"An utterly captivating and fascinating read that addresses issues of consciousness and free will and, in the end, offers suggestions as to how these ideas may or may not inform legal matters." —The Daily Texan
"Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, as well as ethics and law, [Gazzaniga] offers a deeply considered case for human responsibility." —The Charlotte Observer

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062096838
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	313
File size:	990 KB

About the Author

Michael S. Gazzaniga is internationally recognized in the field of neuroscience and a pioneer in cognitive research. He is the director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of many popular science books, including Who's in Charge? (Ecco, 2011). He has six children and lives in California with his wife.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Way We Are 7

2 The Parallel and Distributed Brain 43

3 The Interpreter 75

4 Abandoning the Concept of Free Will 105

5 The Social Mind 143

6 We Are the Law 179

7 An Afterword 217

Acknowledgments 221

Notes 223

Index 243

What People are Saying About This

Alan Alda

“This exciting, stimulating, and sometimes even funny book challenges us to think in new ways about that most mysterious part of us—the part that makes us think we’re us.”

From the Publisher

"A fascinating affirmation of our essential humanity." —-Kirkus

Editorial Reviews

Gazzaniga is a towering figure in contemporary neurobiology. . . . Who’s in Charge? is a joy to read.” — Wall Street Journal

“A fascinating, accessible, and often humorous read for anyone with a brain! And a must-read for neuroscientists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminal attorneys.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Fascinating. . . . Gazzaniga uses a lifetime of experience in neuroscientific research to argue that free will is alive and well.” — Salon.com

“Terrific. . . . [An] engrossing study of the mechanics of thought.” — Publishers Weekly

“A fascinating affirmation of our essential humanity.” — Kirkus Reviews

“From one of the world’s leading thinkers comes a thought-provoking book on how we think and how we act. . . . An exciting, stimulating, and at times even funny read that helps us further understand ourselves, our actions, and our world.” — CNBC.com, Best Books for the Holidays

“An utterly captivating and fascinating read that addresses issues of consciousness and free will and, in the end, offers suggestions as to how these ideas may or may not inform legal matters.” — Daily Texan

“[The] scope of Michael S. Gazzaniga’s Who’s in Charge? is huge—it tackles the age-old debate of free will [and] offers a lot to consider about what Gazzaniga deems the ‘scientific problem of the century.’” — Portland Mercury

“Fascinating. . . . [An] intriguing and persuasive treatment of the moral implications of modern neuroscience.” — Reason.com

“This exciting, stimulating, and sometimes even funny book challenges us to think in new ways about that most mysterious part of us—the part that makes us think we’re us.” — Alan Alda, actor and host of Scientific American Frontiers

From the Publisher

This exciting, stimulating, and sometimes even funny book challenges us to think in new ways about that most mysterious part of us—the part that makes us think we’re us.”

actor and host of Scientific American Frontiers Alan Alda

Gazzaniga is a towering figure in contemporary neurobiology. . . . Who’s in Charge? is a joy to read.

Wall Street Journal

From one of the world’s leading thinkers comes a thought-provoking book on how we think and how we act. . . . An exciting, stimulating, and at times even funny read that helps us further understand ourselves, our actions, and our world.

Best Books for the Holidays CNBC.com

[The] scope of Michael S. Gazzaniga’s Who’s in Charge? is huge—it tackles the age-old debate of free will [and] offers a lot to consider about what Gazzaniga deems the ‘scientific problem of the century.’

Portland Mercury

Fascinating. . . . Gazzaniga uses a lifetime of experience in neuroscientific research to argue that free will is alive and well.

Salon.com

An utterly captivating and fascinating read that addresses issues of consciousness and free will and, in the end, offers suggestions as to how these ideas may or may not inform legal matters.

Daily Texan

This exciting, stimulating, and sometimes even funny book challenges us to think in new ways about that most mysterious part of us—the part that makes us think we’re us.

Alan Alda

Fascinating. . . . [An] intriguing and persuasive treatment of the moral implications of modern neuroscience.

Reason.com

Gazzaniga is a towering figure in contemporary neurobiology. . . . Who’s in Charge? is a joy to read.

Wall Street Journal

"From one of the world’s leading thinkers comes a thought-provoking book on how we think and how we act. . . . An exciting, stimulating, and at times even funny read that helps us further understand ourselves, our actions, and our world."

Best Books for the Holidays - CNBC.com

The more we learn about the human brain, the more puzzling the question of free will becomes.

Forty years ago, cognitive neuroscientist Gazzaniga (Human: The Science Behind What Makes Your Brain Unique, 2008, etc.)—the director of the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara—pioneered the study of the different functions of the right and left hemispheres of the human brain. Since then, it has become clear that what characterizes the human brain is not simply its size—after all, Neanderthal brains were larger—or even the greater connectivity of our neurons than occurs in the brains of our chimpanzee cousins. Neuropsychologists have established that the human brain is composed of specialized modules, local circuits that each operate automatically. "The end result is thousands of modules, each doing their own thing," writes the author, so that "our conscious awareness is the mere tip of the iceberg of non-conscious processing." This capability allowed us to create culture and technology, our hallmark as a species, but we are left with a disturbing question: "[W]hy do we feel so unified and in control" if our conscious experience is the result of "positive feedback" from modules that are each acting independently in response to environmental challenges? Gazzaniga goes on to pose the deeper question of whether can exist if "the thoughts that arise from our minds are also determined," as can be shown experimentally by brain scans. If the brain is made up of subsystems without any one locus of control, can the concept of free will have any meaning? The author examines this knotty question from many different angles and offers a simple analogy to explain how, in his view, consciousness and moral responsibility emerge from social interaction. In other words, the rules of traffic are collective and cannot be reduced to the behavior of individual cars.

A fascinating affirmation of our essential humanity.

Kirkus Reviews