Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes' error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York, NY, Grosset/Putnam. [buy book]

Synopsis:
Drawing on experiences with neurological patients, Damasio shows
how the absence of emotion and feeling can break down rationality,
offering a link between the body and its survival-oriented
regulations, and consciousness. 2 cassettes. --This text refers to
the audio cassettes edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews, 06/30/94:
Few neuroscientists today would defend Cartesian dualism--the
idea that mind and body are separate--but Damasio takes one more
leap: Not only are philosophers wrong to separate brain and body,
but psychology's separation of reason from emotion is also wrong.
Most neuroscientists agree that what we call the mind reflects the
functions of the nervous system--in short, crudely speaking, the
body. Modern science, however, has transferred the old mind-
body split into a brain-body dichotomy in which the brain occupies
a hierarchically privileged place. But Damasio (Neurology/Univ. of
Iowa College of Medicine) democratizes the relationship between
brain and body; he posits a powerful interdependence in which our
physical experience of the world around us is central to the creation
of our sense of self, and colors our behavior. His persuasive
argument begins with Phineas Gage, a 19th-century railway worker
who suffered brain damage when an iron rod shot through his head
like a missile, destroying his left eye and parts of his frontal lobes.
The result was not a loss of speech or memory but profound
personality and emotional changes and an inability to make rational
judgments about the present and future. Damasio and his wife,
Hanna, have studied patients with similar frontal-lobe damage and
similar effects: IQ, memory, and language are intact, but there is a
lack of feeling and an inability to put current events in context and
make future judgments. These points are eloquently expressed,
along with the anatomical/physiological evidence linking the frontal
cortices with sensory-motor areas and emotional networks that feed
forward and backward from the body surface and internal organs.
Damasio is the first to admit that he cannot prove all he says. In the
meantime, one can read with pleasure and share the excitement of a
neuroscientist who sees that in the union of the many parts of the
human brain lies its strength. (Quality Paperback Book Club
alternate selection; Library of Science main selection) -- Copyright
©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text
refers to the hardcover edition of this title.

Synopsis:
Taking the reader on a riveting journey of scientific discovery, this
book starts with the peculiar case of Phineas Gage--a construction
foreman who in 1848 survived a freak accident in which a 3-1/2
foot iron rod passed through his head--and continuing on to
Damasio's experiences with modern-day neurological patients
affected by brain damage.

Synopsis:
A great scientist presents a radical new conception of how our
minds work, arguing that rationale decisions are not the product of
logic along, but require the support of emotion and feeling. "(This)
astonishing book takes us on a scientific journey into the brain that
helps us see the source of our feelings, thoughts, and desires."--Dr.
Jonas Salk. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this
title.

Book News, Inc., 11/30/94:
Damasio (neurology, U. of Iowa College of Medicine) draws on his
experiences with neurological patients affected by brain damage and
shows how the absence of emotion and feeling can break down
rationality. He explains how emotions contribute to adaptive social
behavior, and offers a novel perspective on the nature of feelings as
a direct sensing of our own body states and a link between the body
and consciousness. Includes detailed descriptions of neurological
processes, and b&w diagrams. Annotation copyright Book News,
Inc. Portland, Or. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of
this title.


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