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Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind
 
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Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind (Paperback)

by V.S. Ramachandran (Author), Sandra Blakeslee (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Customers buy this book with The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador) by Oliver Sacks

Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind + The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador)
Price For Both: £11.28

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd; New edition edition (6 May 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857028953
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857028959
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #2 in  Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Medical & Healthcare Practitioners > Internal Medicine > Neurology & Clinical Neurophysiology
    #2 in  Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Neurology

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
What would you say about a woman who, despite stroke-induced paralysis crippling the entire left side of her body, insists that she is whole and strong--who even sees her left hand reach out to grasp objects? Freud called it "denial"; neurologists call it "anosognosia". However it may be labelled, this phenomenon and others like it allow us peeks into other mental worlds and afford us considerable insight into our own.

The writings of Oliver Sacks and others have shown us that we can learn much about ourselves by looking closely at the deficits shown by people with neurological problems. VS Ramachandran has seen countless patients suffering from anosognosia, phantom limb pain, blindsight and other disorders, and he brings a remarkable mixture of clinical intuition and research savvy to bear on their problems. He is one of the few scientists who are able and willing to explore the personal, subjective ramifications of his work; he rehumanizes an often too-sterile field and captures the spirit of wonder so essential for true discovery. Phantoms in the Brain is equal parts medical mystery, scientific adventure, and philosophical speculation; Ramachandran's writing is smart, caring, and very, very funny.

Whether you're curious about the workings of the brain, interested in alternatives to expensive, high-tech science (much of Ramachandran's research is done with materials found around the home), or simply want a fresh perspective on the nature of human consciousness, you'll find satisfaction withPhantoms in the Brain. --Rob Lightner

Review
When it works, the combination of an expert scientist and a skilled writer to produce a book about some deep area of research is hard to beat. Phantoms in the Brain is just such a book. Ramachandran is the expert (a professor researching into how the brain works); Blakeslee is the writer (from the New York Times). Their theme is the effort to understand how the brain functions by looking at what happens when it doesn't work properly, not due to mental illness but due to physical damage to different parts of the organ. In particular, how does the nervous system create phantom impressions of things that aren't there? The science is explained with wit and verve. A superb book. (Kirkus UK)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind
72% buy the item featured on this page:
Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind 4.5 out of 5 stars (10)
£6.49
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador)
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador) 4.1 out of 5 stars (28)
£4.79
The Emerging Mind: The BBC Reith Lectures 2003
5% buy
The Emerging Mind: The BBC Reith Lectures 2003 4.2 out of 5 stars (6)
£5.99
Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain
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Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain 5.0 out of 5 stars (4)
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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3 star:
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2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight into neurological problems, 18 April 2004
By Keith Appleyard "kapple999" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I first heard of VS Ramachandran when quite by accident I tuned into his giving the 2003 Reith Lectures on BBC Radio 4. His entertaining & instructive style prompted me to tune in a few nights later for the next instalment, and then to go and seek out his published work.

Phantoms in the Brain is an excellent introduction to practical studies of phantom limbs syndrome, and thus into the workings of the human brain and the concept of body imaging.

As a direct consequence of reading this book, I then eagerly awaited his next offering, the transcript of those BBC Lectures.

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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Stimulating, 1 Aug 2005
By AMR (Ireland) - See all my reviews
A truly interesting book, it reads like a novel with the author telling about all these absolutely extraordinary things which people can experience simply because of some problem in their brain and he then goes on to tell exactly why they happen. I found that after finishing each chapter I just had to tell someone about the case he had been describing, then you can sound like a proper "brain surgeon" and explain to them exactly why the problem occured.

I think this book may be the best way to learn about the brain because the book is just unputdownable but you learn so much.

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40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, 2 Jun 1999
By A Customer
A light and approachable book talking about how the mind (appears to) work(s) - I'm not a doctor or a scientist but still found this absorbing enough to read on holiday. As a point of reference, it is most similar in tone to Oliver Sacks' books (The Man Who His Wife For A Hat).

Using examples gleaned from case histories, Dr Ramachandran takes us into the world of phantom limbs, people who see cartoons and more. Oprah it is not - rather it is a thought provoking glimpse into the yet to be fully understood workings of the brain. Recommended

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Phantoms in the Brain
`Phantoms in the Brain' is a highly accessible look at how the brain works via the study of various neurological disorders. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Spider Monkey

3.0 out of 5 stars Would benefit from being shorter
V. interesting laymans guide to how and why you do the things you do. Particularly enjoyed the self test activities. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. W. Parkin

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Excellent read. Great experiments to explain, things I have always noticed, but never understood.
Published 3 months ago by P. George

5.0 out of 5 stars Reverse engineering the brain
Building a brain from scratch too difficult? No problem. Why not try it the other way. Dismantle a brain piece by piece to find out what each bit does (or did). Read more
Published 11 months ago by happyreviewer

5.0 out of 5 stars great
I purchased this book as it had a chapter that partly related to the subject of my thesis(linking proprioception to phantom limb sensation). Read more
Published 11 months ago by aberdeen lass

5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritually motivating
The chapter which attracted me the most was, God and the limbic system. By nature I am a spiritually inclined person, so I could not resist myself in reading the chapter again and... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2006 by N.Parimala Devi

5.0 out of 5 stars better than the man who mistook his wife for a hat
sorry oliver sacks, but v.s ramachandran has got 'it' better than you. the book is an intense delight into the world of neuroscience and philosophy. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2005 by J. Scoble

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