Traditionally, the human soul is regarded as a nonphysical concept that can only be examined by psychiatrists and theologists. In his new book, "The Astonishing Hypothesis", Nobel Laureate Francis Crick boldly straddles the line between science and spirituality by examining the soul from the standpoint of a modern scientist, basing the soul's existence and function on an in-depth examination of how the human brain "sees".
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Carl Sagan "Author of "Cosmos""The Astonishing Hypothesis" is a fascinating argument that consciousness and what has long been called the soul are now accessible to scientific investigation.
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First Sentence
The Astonishing Hypothesis is that "You," your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The Astonishing Hypothesis is that "You," your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I found this book enlightening. True, as another reviewer said, it's not all that *original*, nor is it written absolutely well. However, I think it's wrong to think that most people are familiar with this concept. Well, lots of people may be, but so many people I know who are familiar with reductionism reject it for no more reason than a general feeling of "dislike". When I read it a few years ago, I found it enlightening to find someone so excited and astonished by something that most people find frightening. I loved his scientific view of the natural beauty the hypothesis suggests.
I'd also like to point out that, while reductionism itself may be "centuries old", Crick's deep examination and presentation of evidence in favor of an actual neurological basis for what we think of as the "soul" is only as old as neurology.
I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone. But I would recommend it as a starting point -- just borrow it ! from your library, read the introduction, the conclusion, the bibliography, and go from there!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent book by a working scientist. It shows a scientist at work, looking for answers. It demonstrates what answers are and how to find them. It addresses a topic that everyone is interested in, but few actually know anything about. I highly recommend it. It is a bit dry and technical, but after all the nonsense and fluff written on this subject, the change is delightful.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Happens to be one of my tippy-top favorites among the books I've read in the last 10 years. Much of it is about experiments on the visual cortex of monkeys, described in a very reader-friendly way (though not always monkey-friendly). It's real science for non-specialists, highly engaging yet scrupulously unspeculative. The narrative theme is that our souls are reducible to biophysical processes in brain and body. Before I read the book I thought this was bloody obvious and not the least bit astonishing. Afterwards I had got the feeling for how it works, in part. The excellent account of some areas of brain research is the main reason to read this book. As a bonus you get Francis Crick's great scientific spirit.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not very astonishing
Crick seems to be confusing the concept of visual perception with conciousness... and the basic idea, that conciousness is nothing more than "a vast assembly of nerve cells and... Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2004 by Richard BJ
1.0 out of 5 stars
You can spend your time better!
My God!( if you'll pardon the espression).Does Crick need the money that bad? This is a good book for Neuroscientists interested in getting up to date on specific knowledge of the... Read more
Published on 17 Aug 1999
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Contemporary Cogitation on Flamboyant Horizons
Tossed in vertigo salads, while qualia and brain teasers, teasing, mix soft cables with resplendent fugitive eggnog capers, the mind-body problem remains unsolved, but clearly... Read more
Published on 9 April 1999
3.0 out of 5 stars
What is so astonishing, Dr. Crick?
The problem with Crick's book--a rather common problem these days--is that it does not do what it sets out to do. Read more
Published on 3 April 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most cerebral discussion
For those who don't use their mind to discover their souls, don't read it. But those who do.
Published on 11 Sep 1997
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