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Review
'Susan Greenfield is often described as the foremost female scientist in Britain, but she is one of the best of any gender, anywhere, at getting complicated ideas across' -- Independent on Sunday 'Greenfield is an entertaining writer, a brilliant neuroscientist and an excellent exponent of the latest advances in brain chemistry' -- New Humanist 'Susan Greenfield enthrals and intrigues her readers in equal measure ... a force of intellect and a force of nature' -- John Humphrys 20081121 'Asks good questions, describes intriguing facts and makes some interesting suggestions' -- Financial Times 20081121 'she is so fluent and persuasive a writer that just reading this important book perks up the grey cells' -- Telegraph 20081121
Review
'Susan Greenfield is often described as the foremost female scientist in Britain, but she is one of the best of any gender, anywhere, at getting complicated ideas across' (Independent on Sunday )
'Greenfield is an entertaining writer, a brilliant neuroscientist and an excellent exponent of the latest advances in brain chemistry' (New Humanist )
'Susan Greenfield enthrals and intrigues her readers in equal measure . . . a force of intellect and a force of nature' (John Humphrys )
'Asks good questions, describes intriguing facts and makes some interesting suggestions' (Financial Times )
'she is so fluent and persuasive a writer that just reading this important book perks up the grey cells' (Telegraph )
'Greenfield is an entertaining writer, a brilliant neuroscientist and an excellent exponent of the latest advances in brain chemistry' (New Humanist )
'Susan Greenfield enthrals and intrigues her readers in equal measure . . . a force of intellect and a force of nature' (John Humphrys )
'Asks good questions, describes intriguing facts and makes some interesting suggestions' (Financial Times )
'she is so fluent and persuasive a writer that just reading this important book perks up the grey cells' (Telegraph )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Susan Greenfield is a neuroscientist, so she knows her stuff when it comes to the brain. In this fascinating and accessible book, she explores the idea of identity. As you might expect, it's complex and not explained by any simple factor or mechanism within the brain, and in fact is not really fully understood. However she clearly describes three main types of identity, ranging from Someone, through Anybody to Nobody.
In brief, Someone is the sense of self as a unique individual, separate from everyone else. Anybody is being part of a group, where you can lose your sense of individuality and become part of a bigger group identity. Finally Nobody is where neither of these is experienced and in a sense your identity is simply a stream of physical sensations.
These three states are present to some extent in all of us - for example being taken up in the joint thrill of a football crowd (if that's your thing) is to be Anybody, or loosing yourself by becoming drunk (or on drugs) is to be Nobody.
The first part of the book is perhaps the most difficult because she lays down the basics of how the brain works: but it's a necessary foundation for what follows. Then towards the end she explores how the modern digital age might presage change - in fact she argues that the changes wrought could be so profound that a post-digital society might have a completely different way of identifying self as a result.
You may not agree with all her ideas, but they are certainly thought provoking and always clearly argued. It's about 4 years old now, but doesn't feel out of date. If anything the latter parts seem even more relevant now.
In brief, Someone is the sense of self as a unique individual, separate from everyone else. Anybody is being part of a group, where you can lose your sense of individuality and become part of a bigger group identity. Finally Nobody is where neither of these is experienced and in a sense your identity is simply a stream of physical sensations.
These three states are present to some extent in all of us - for example being taken up in the joint thrill of a football crowd (if that's your thing) is to be Anybody, or loosing yourself by becoming drunk (or on drugs) is to be Nobody.
The first part of the book is perhaps the most difficult because she lays down the basics of how the brain works: but it's a necessary foundation for what follows. Then towards the end she explores how the modern digital age might presage change - in fact she argues that the changes wrought could be so profound that a post-digital society might have a completely different way of identifying self as a result.
You may not agree with all her ideas, but they are certainly thought provoking and always clearly argued. It's about 4 years old now, but doesn't feel out of date. If anything the latter parts seem even more relevant now.
13 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
One of the interesting aspects of these frameworks for identity is the absence of the physical body. As Greenfield is talking about the Consumer Society, which begs us to treat our bodies in terms of having rather than being, this dislocation is strange.
Greenfield is enthusiastic - and it is always good to read something written with passion.
And, other reviewer: books are three dimensional, highly tactile objects, utterly different from attempting to read or study using an e-book. Try it.
I can play computer games for hours, may be it'll be the problems of reading a pdf, but I can only bear an e-book for 30 minutes.
Greenfield is enthusiastic - and it is always good to read something written with passion.
And, other reviewer: books are three dimensional, highly tactile objects, utterly different from attempting to read or study using an e-book. Try it.
I can play computer games for hours, may be it'll be the problems of reading a pdf, but I can only bear an e-book for 30 minutes.
4 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After reading a very positive review of this in the Big Issue I was very disappointed to find it extremely impenetrable with very little for the layman to get his/her teeth into and far too much technical language - it certainly did not make me want to learn more about the workings of the brain. The author presupposes far too lofty a level of understanding in her readership.The subject matter also seems to jump about a huge amount leading to a great deal of difficulty in attempting to sort out what is happening.
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Fantastic book which can really revolutionise your concept of mind. Very enjoyable and absorbing though slightly fell away in final chapter. Highly recommended.
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