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Chris Frith

Making up the mind

When we percieve something via our senses the process seems fairly straightforward. In Making up the mind: how the brain creates our mental world , however, Chris Frith shows that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than you might think.

The book starts by looking at studies of people with damage to part of their brain and what this can tell us about how the brain works. For instance there's the phenomenon of blindsight where someone can't consciously see things, but unconsciously knows that they are there. Also some stroke patients may be paralysed in part of their body, but have a condition known as anosognosia where they are convinced that they are perfectly OK. But even the normal brain can have tricks played upon it, for instance the Ames room, where we see people as being impossibly different sizes rather than interpreting it as a distorted room (which it is). Later in the book Frith looks at the way our brains form a model of what our bodies are doing, and why it is impossible to tickle yourself. He then discusses bayesian statistics and how our brains are often much better at using it that we ourselves. He also considers how we form a model of the minds of other people, and why working out the intentions of others is so important. This leads on to a consideration of how society is made up of shared mental models.

I'd recommend this book to all readers, in fact I'm rather surprised that it didn't make it to the shortlist of the 2008 Royal Society Prizes. It's easy to read, fairly short, but packs in plenty of information. When I'd finished it I found that there were plenty of things I wanted to find out more about - always the sign of a good book.

Amazon.com info

Paperback 248 pages
ISBN: 1405160225
Salesrank: 110033
Weight:0.84 lbs

Published: 2007 Wiley-Blackwell

Amazon price $28.66

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Amazon.co.uk info

Paperback 248 pages
ISBN: 1405160225
Salesrank: 32609
Weight:0.84 lbs

Published: 2007 Wiley-Blackwell

Amazon price £12.12

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Amazon.ca info

Paperback 248 pages
ISBN: 1405160225
Salesrank: 36546
Weight:0.84 lbs

Published: 2007 Wiley-Blackwell

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Product Description
Written by one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Making Up the Mind is the first accessible account of experimental studies showing how the brain creates our mental world. Uses evidence from brain imaging, psychological experiments and studies of patients to explore the relationship between the mind and the brain Demonstrates that our knowledge of both the mental and physical comes to us through models created by our brain Shows how the brain makes communication of ideas from one mind to another possible

Product Description

Written by one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Making Up the Mind is the first accessible account of experimental studies showing how the brain creates our mental world.

Uses evidence from brain imaging, psychological experiments and studies of patients to explore the relationship between the mind and the brain
Demonstrates that our knowledge of both the mental and physical comes to us through models created by our brain
Shows how the brain makes communication of ideas from one mind to another possible

Brain of Editor Needed Fixin ***
This over-priced book was poorly edited. Many missing words in the text. Your brain will be able to fill-in the missing words, so you can guess at the author's meaning. Overall the book is just ok. Similar content elsewhere for less money.

Brain of Editor Needed Fixin ***

This over-priced book was poorly edited. Many missing words in the text. Your brain will be able to fill-in the missing words, so you can guess at the author's meaning. Overall the book is just ok. Similar content elsewhere for less money.

Does justice to the macroscale topics of cognitive neuroscience but is severely wanting on the functional microdetails ****
"Making up the Mind: How the Brain creates our mental world" is an entertaining book for general enthusiasts of neuroscience/ psychology. The spatial and temporal progression of topics reveals a meticulous topographic organization of the central premise as the author leads the reader through vacillating themes that intentionally are comprehensively contradictory. The narrative is quite enrapturing as the book progresses through a fictional discourse between the author, a Professor of English and the Microbiologists at a party. The information presented however is neither novel nor captivating to anyone with a basic understanding of the nervous system and general psychology. The book is expressively written for the neuroscience illiterate which often leaves anyone with a basic understanding of biology twiddling their thumbs in abject frustration at the lack of detail on a neuronal level. The narrative journey starts with the author using the prejudice that he suffers for being a psychologist (during his fictional discourse with the other two main characters of the book) to dispel the common misconceptions associated with the field. He brings to light the recent breakthroughs in the field of cognitive neuroscience that make it by far one of the most coveted research fields in recent times. This epilogue gives way to the author main theme that the mind and the brain are significantly out of sync which according to the author creates the illusion of sensation, free will and control. This section is riddled with experimental evidence which suggests that sensations and decisions are often integrated in the cerebral cortex even prior to our knowledge of such an occurrence. With numerous examples that validate such a claim, the author leaves the reader with the impression that everything that we are cognitively aware of is nothing but an elaborate illusion. Thus any sane reader will begin to doubt their sanity by the end of this section of the book based on the implications of the claims espoused. In a perfect representation of the contradictory comprehensiveness, the following section in the book went on to cover how we can indeed trust our senses within a certain margin of error. Finally the author wraps ups with a serious look at how perception, biomechanics and the simplest of complex movement works through the use of mental models which are iteratively improved on using the negative feedback (error signals) provided by the senses. The conclusion covers the phenomenal ability of humans to extend these mental models beyond biomechanics to even extrapolate the cognitive undergirding of other minds (i.e. communication). The author employs the Socratic method of explanation guided by questioning but does so in an ingenious form of a fictional conversation at a party. During the course of the fictional discourse with a non science professor, the author encounters and responds to the typical questions that are posed by individuals new to the field of neuroscience thereby advancing through the book with each question posed. Even the topical organization of the book within each part is done through the use of questions. The tone and general dissemination of information espoused is in a conversational tone thereby making the book and overall easy read. The author's tirade during the initial section of the book states that we are not cognitively aware of the computational function of the brain which in turn gives us an underrepresented illusion of reality is truly flawed not from a scientific perspective but rather from an evolutionary behavioral standpoint. Considering the complex biomechanical calculations involved with even the simplest of movements, each of us must be truly enthralled at the fact that we are not aware of the constant recalculation and regeneration of movement. As a biomedical engineer one of my areas of study is biomechanics which requires the modeling and predictive inference of movement. A biomechanics problem often can take hours on end to solve because of the inherent complexity involved with deformational bodies and general dynamics of motion. If we were cognitively aware of the constant mathematical correction of every movement that is required, it would by and large incapacitate our ability to function as sociable human beings. A facsimile would be two people trying to have a normal sane conversation at a rock concert. The background noise would hinder if not severely inhibit any sensible communication. From that perspective alone, unlike the dismal tone that the author takes on the matter, I am indeed thrilled at not being aware of the complex calculus that underlies even our simplest of motions. During the second part of the book, the author goes on to present how even that which we are cognitively aware is flawed due to a Bayesian inference of posteriors that is conducted when we encounter any scenario. The author would thus best agree with Sherlock Holmes who once famously said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains however improbable must be the truth". Besides being thrilled at the elevation of a famous statistical method well known to engineers, the fact remains that our natural ability to infer using predictive probability remains one of the our greatest assets in discerning reality. While it is true that the system can be fooled through the use of unconventional representation of non realistic stimuli, the odds of encountering such stimuli in the larger world is infinitesimally small if not nonexistent. Thus in other words the exploration of such an area of research has little real world day to day implications when compared to the much genuinely interesting research that is conducted in field of neuroscience. By far and large, the most enjoyable part of the book (which stems from bias as an engineer) is the modeling section covered during the final section. The author statement on page 135 that "Our brains build models of the world and continuously modify these models on the basis of signals that reach our senses" is when two previous premises are integrated to provide a holistic representation of how Bayesian inference comes into play with both sensory input and the theoretical construct of cognitive expectancy. Simply stated, it is in that one line that the author expresses what would interest any scientist the most. Consider for example the irony in the fact that scientists and engineers often try to model the brain when the brain's representation of expectation and reality is in and of itself a model. On the whole the book is well written thereby making it an enjoyable read. The lack of functional neuronal mechanistic details is quite glaring but considering that the book is written as an introduction to the field, the flaw is understandable and thus expected. It should be noted though that the narration does have a significant psychology bias which is not representative of neural engineers that also do form a significant portion of the neuroscience community. If you are new to the field of neuroscience/ psychology, then by all means this book is a must read. It has all the interesting facts without any of the gory underlying details. The style of writing is quite unconventional and thus is on the whole quite an enjoyable read as the author uses empirical evidence of remarkable experiments to support and summarize the current views in the neuroscience community.

Does justice to the macroscale topics of cognitive neuroscience but is severely wanting on the functional microdetails ****

"Making up the Mind: How the Brain creates our mental world" is an entertaining book for general enthusiasts of neuroscience/ psychology. The spatial and temporal progression of topics reveals a meticulous topographic organization of the central premise as the author leads the reader through vacillating themes that intentionally are comprehensively contradictory. The narrative is quite enrapturing as the book progresses through a fictional discourse between the author, a Professor of English and the Microbiologists at a party. The information presented however is neither novel nor captivating to anyone with a basic understanding of the nervous system and general psychology. The book is expressively written for the neuroscience illiterate which often leaves anyone with a basic understanding of biology twiddling their thumbs in abject frustration at the lack of detail on a neuronal level.

The narrative journey starts with the author using the prejudice that he suffers for being a psychologist (during his fictional discourse with the other two main characters of the book) to dispel the common misconceptions associated with the field. He brings to light the recent breakthroughs in the field of cognitive neuroscience that make it by far one of the most coveted research fields in recent times. This epilogue gives way to the author main theme that the mind and the brain are significantly out of sync which according to the author creates the illusion of sensation, free will and control. This section is riddled with experimental evidence which suggests that sensations and decisions are often integrated in the cerebral cortex even prior to our knowledge of such an occurrence. With numerous examples that validate such a claim, the author leaves the reader with the impression that everything that we are cognitively aware of is nothing but an elaborate illusion. Thus any sane reader will begin to doubt their sanity by the end of this section of the book based on the implications of the claims espoused. In a perfect representation of the contradictory comprehensiveness, the following section in the book went on to cover how we can indeed trust our senses within a certain margin of error. Finally the author wraps ups with a serious look at how perception, biomechanics and the simplest of complex movement works through the use of mental models which are iteratively improved on using the negative feedback (error signals) provided by the senses. The conclusion covers the phenomenal ability of humans to extend these mental models beyond biomechanics to even extrapolate the cognitive undergirding of other minds (i.e. communication).

The author employs the Socratic method of explanation guided by questioning but does so in an ingenious form of a fictional conversation at a party. During the course of the fictional discourse with a non science professor, the author encounters and responds to the typical questions that are posed by individuals new to the field of neuroscience thereby advancing through the book with each question posed. Even the topical organization of the book within each part is done through the use of questions. The tone and general dissemination of information espoused is in a conversational tone thereby making the book and overall easy read.

The author's tirade during the initial section of the book states that we are not cognitively aware of the computational function of the brain which in turn gives us an underrepresented illusion of reality is truly flawed not from a scientific perspective but rather from an evolutionary behavioral standpoint. Considering the complex biomechanical calculations involved with even the simplest of movements, each of us must be truly enthralled at the fact that we are not aware of the constant recalculation and regeneration of movement. As a biomedical engineer one of my areas of study is biomechanics which requires the modeling and predictive inference of movement. A biomechanics problem often can take hours on end to solve because of the inherent complexity involved with deformational bodies and general dynamics of motion. If we were cognitively aware of the constant mathematical correction of every movement that is required, it would by and large incapacitate our ability to function as sociable human beings. A facsimile would be two people trying to have a normal sane conversation at a rock concert. The background noise would hinder if not severely inhibit any sensible communication. From that perspective alone, unlike the dismal tone that the author takes on the matter, I am indeed thrilled at not being aware of the complex calculus that underlies even our simplest of motions. During the second part of the book, the author goes on to present how even that which we are cognitively aware is flawed due to a Bayesian inference of posteriors that is conducted when we encounter any scenario. The author would thus best agree with Sherlock Holmes who once famously said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains however improbable must be the truth". Besides being thrilled at the elevation of a famous statistical method well known to engineers, the fact remains that our natural ability to infer using predictive probability remains one of the our greatest assets in discerning reality. While it is true that the system can be fooled through the use of unconventional representation of non realistic stimuli, the odds of encountering such stimuli in the larger world is infinitesimally small if not nonexistent. Thus in other words the exploration of such an area of research has little real world day to day implications when compared to the much genuinely interesting research that is conducted in field of neuroscience. By far and large, the most enjoyable part of the book (which stems from bias as an engineer) is the modeling section covered during the final section. The author statement on page 135 that "Our brains build models of the world and continuously modify these models on the basis of signals that reach our senses" is when two previous premises are integrated to provide a holistic representation of how Bayesian inference comes into play with both sensory input and the theoretical construct of cognitive expectancy. Simply stated, it is in that one line that the author expresses what would interest any scientist the most. Consider for example the irony in the fact that scientists and engineers often try to model the brain when the brain's representation of expectation and reality is in and of itself a model.

On the whole the book is well written thereby making it an enjoyable read. The lack of functional neuronal mechanistic details is quite glaring but considering that the book is written as an introduction to the field, the flaw is understandable and thus expected. It should be noted though that the narration does have a significant psychology bias which is not representative of neural engineers that also do form a significant portion of the neuroscience community. If you are new to the field of neuroscience/ psychology, then by all means this book is a must read. It has all the interesting facts without any of the gory underlying details. The style of writing is quite unconventional and thus is on the whole quite an enjoyable read as the author uses empirical evidence of remarkable experiments to support and summarize the current views in the neuroscience community.

Neat Book About How the Brain Models the World ***
For whatever reason, I had a hard time in trying to understand exactly what the main thesis of the book is. What exactly does the book's subtitle 'How the Brain Creates Our Mental World' mean? Is it about the physical/neurological mechanics of how the brain works? Is it about what conciousness is? Is it about psychology? I think I understand it now. The theme of the book is rather simple - everything that you are aware of (the physical world, other people's minds and your own body), are actually models created by the brain. And how does the brain creates these models? Using various ways such Baysian mechanics, predictions-feedback and associative learning. The writing style is quite enlightening - full of humour and littered with antedotes, facts and interesting experiments. The use of the English Professor is simply brilliant and engaging. The numerous footnotes can be rather disruptive to the flow of reading at times. I wish the book could do more with the 'serious' side of science - such as properly define the terminologies (i.e. mind, awareness, brains), or add a chapter on the latest and greatest scientific/philosophical advances to keep readers wanting to find out more about the brain/conciousness after this book. Overall, fine book to keep if you are interested in neuroscience and psychology.

Neat Book About How the Brain Models the World ***

For whatever reason, I had a hard time in trying to understand exactly what the main thesis of the book is. What exactly does the book's subtitle 'How the Brain Creates Our Mental World' mean? Is it about the physical/neurological mechanics of how the brain works? Is it about what conciousness is? Is it about psychology?

I think I understand it now. The theme of the book is rather simple - everything that you are aware of (the physical world, other people's minds and your own body), are actually models created by the brain.

And how does the brain creates these models? Using various ways such Baysian mechanics, predictions-feedback and associative learning.

The writing style is quite enlightening - full of humour and littered with antedotes, facts and interesting experiments. The use of the English Professor is simply brilliant and engaging. The numerous footnotes can be rather disruptive to the flow of reading at times.

I wish the book could do more with the 'serious' side of science - such as properly define the terminologies (i.e. mind, awareness, brains), or add a chapter on the latest and greatest scientific/philosophical advances to keep readers wanting to find out more about the brain/conciousness after this book.

Overall, fine book to keep if you are interested in neuroscience and psychology.

One caveat *****
This is a superb book, but I have one caveat. I purchased a new hard bound copy, for about 55 bucks, no less. Part way into it I kept finding references to color plates, but although the book is fairly profusely illustrated the color plate section was totally absent. I returned it and ordered the softcover edition, which turned out to include the color plates. I really wanted the hardcover copy, and contacted Wiley-Blackwell to find out whether the printer had corrected this mistake. They said they would look into it, but never got back to me. I would be curious to know whether anyone else who purchased the hard cover edition experienced a similar problem?

One caveat *****

This is a superb book, but I have one caveat. I purchased a new hard bound copy, for about 55 bucks, no less. Part way into it I kept finding references to color plates, but although the book is fairly profusely illustrated the color plate section was totally absent. I returned it and ordered the softcover edition, which turned out to include the color plates. I really wanted the hardcover copy, and contacted Wiley-Blackwell to find out whether the printer had corrected this mistake. They said they would look into it, but never got back to me.

I would be curious to know whether anyone else who purchased the hard cover edition experienced a similar problem?

Worth reading ****
I have read several books on brain function. This book has little new information, but presents the author's ideas in an easy to understand fashion which would be very helpful to new readers in this area, and might help consolidate old ideas more precisely for those familiar with the subject. An easy read, worth the effort.

Worth reading ****

I have read several books on brain function. This book has little new information, but presents the author's ideas in an easy to understand fashion which would be very helpful to new readers in this area, and might help consolidate old ideas more precisely for those familiar with the subject. An easy read, worth the effort.

Must read *****
Excellent book on the mind, body, brain, perception, reality, agency and the self. In fact, it is a great book about consciousness too. Although Frith denies that it is about consciousness (p. 189) - more likely, he is just honest enough to admit we don't have all the answers just yet. He is also kind enough to spare us long overviews of centuries of philosophical debates predating the relatively recent accumulation of a considerable body of evidence on how the brain creates our mental world. Frith covers that evidence and offers deep insights.

Must read *****

Excellent book on the mind, body, brain, perception, reality, agency and the self.
In fact, it is a great book about consciousness too. Although Frith denies that it is about consciousness (p. 189) - more likely, he is just honest enough to admit we don't have all the answers just yet. He is also kind enough to spare us long overviews of centuries of philosophical debates predating the relatively recent accumulation of a considerable body of evidence on how the brain creates our mental world. Frith covers that evidence and offers deep insights.

The modeling machine *****
This book brilliantly describes the view of the brain as a modeling machine, the place of our mind in the generated model, and the limitations of the mind with respect to the "real" world. Other writers have also touched on the model concept, but this is the first time I see it spelled out loud. This is a must read for anyone interested in the mind and brain relation!

The modeling machine *****

This book brilliantly describes the view of the brain as a modeling machine, the place of our mind in the generated model, and the limitations of the mind with respect to the "real" world. Other writers have also touched on the model concept, but this is the first time I see it spelled out loud. This is a must read for anyone interested in the mind and brain relation!

An ideal introduction to the interface between the brain and mind *****
This popular science book, written by one of the most prominent cognitive neuroscientists in the world, explores the current evidence of how our brains generate our mental image of ourselves and the world. He first outlines how our brains give us an image of ourselves and the world that can deviate frighteningly from reality. Sometimes this is simply because our heavily embedded ideas of our perceptions and beliefs are wrong, but sometimes problems arise due to brain damage. In the second second section, he centres on the brain as a prediction machine, which gives us the power to understand ourselves, our bodies and each other. The book is written extremely clearly, largely without the use of jargon, and although a tad dry in places, includes sufficiently exciting content to keep the reader engaged. Some attempts to make the book more popular worked well, such as occasional idiosyncratic and funny footer notes. I wished these would have taken a more prominent role, and he would have felt more at ease to make far more of these kinds of comments. However, Frith's imaginary conversations with a cynical and anti-scientific English professor feel more like an afterthought, and he could easily have made far more of the idea, had he wished. As a cognitive neuroscience researcher myself, I didn't really learn anything new, as Frith is largely reluctant to speculate on any ideas that haven't already been very firmly established, but I was nevertheless able to appreciate the coherence and intelligence of his explanations, which at times did allow me to view a well-trodden topic afresh. For a layperson, however, I can't think of a better introduction to the interface between the mind and brain than this book.

An ideal introduction to the interface between the brain and mind *****

This popular science book, written by one of the most prominent cognitive neuroscientists in the world, explores the current evidence of how our brains generate our mental image of ourselves and the world. He first outlines how our brains give us an image of ourselves and the world that can deviate frighteningly from reality. Sometimes this is simply because our heavily embedded ideas of our perceptions and beliefs are wrong, but sometimes problems arise due to brain damage. In the second second section, he centres on the brain as a prediction machine, which gives us the power to understand ourselves, our bodies and each other. The book is written extremely clearly, largely without the use of jargon, and although a tad dry in places, includes sufficiently exciting content to keep the reader engaged. Some attempts to make the book more popular worked well, such as occasional idiosyncratic and funny footer notes. I wished these would have taken a more prominent role, and he would have felt more at ease to make far more of these kinds of comments. However, Frith's imaginary conversations with a cynical and anti-scientific English professor feel more like an afterthought, and he could easily have made far more of the idea, had he wished. As a cognitive neuroscience researcher myself, I didn't really learn anything new, as Frith is largely reluctant to speculate on any ideas that haven't already been very firmly established, but I was nevertheless able to appreciate the coherence and intelligence of his explanations, which at times did allow me to view a well-trodden topic afresh. For a layperson, however, I can't think of a better introduction to the interface between the mind and brain than this book.

Disappointed **
Psychology 101 - that's the level of thinking of "MAKING UP THE MIND". Therefore, I couldn't find anything in it to rave about. In his book, Chris Frith offers a light-hearted account of several basic principles of neuropsychology. He provides examples of illusions and fallacies. He points out that much learning occurs by reward and punishment. Can anybody get excited about such rudimentary information? His main message is perhaps that the brain makes "models" of things, and that sometimes the models are wrong. He reasons that truth and progress can emerge from the models, but so can deception and mass delusions. So what? He ends the book by advising the reader to "just go back to the party and have fun". I feel that a well-informed reader probably should stay at the party from beginning to end, rather than waste her time in reading this vacuous book.

Disappointed **

Psychology 101 - that's the level of thinking of "MAKING UP THE MIND". Therefore, I couldn't find anything in it to rave about. In his book, Chris Frith offers a light-hearted account of several basic principles of neuropsychology. He provides examples of illusions and fallacies. He points out that much learning occurs by reward and punishment. Can anybody get excited about such rudimentary information? His main message is perhaps that the brain makes "models" of things, and that sometimes the models are wrong. He reasons that truth and progress can emerge from the models, but so can deception and mass delusions. So what? He ends the book by advising the reader to "just go back to the party and have fun". I feel that a well-informed reader probably should stay at the party from beginning to end, rather than waste her time in reading this vacuous book.

Who's in charge in there? *****
It's hard to resolve where the best place to encounter Chris Frith might be - a classroom, a pub, or a party. In this book, the last is set as a means of providing exchanges between a working cognitive neuroscientist and people from the humanities and other sciences - English and physics, in this case. Frith goes to some effort to show how many misconceptions about how the mind works still exist in our society. He wants to set those right, and does so splendidly in this book on the workings of the brain. With a style one might almost describe as jocular, Frith reveals how the brain deals with the world outside and within us. Frith had the good fortune to enter the field as the new, non-intrusive methods of brain imaging were emerging. Big, cumbersome and expensive, these tools, the PET, fMRI and CAT scanning devices soon came into more widespread use. These machines could map the living brain, while patients could be queried or given tests to assist in determining which brain areas were active at a given time. Frith describes these tools as moving brain studies from a "soft" science to a "hard" science in which detailed measurements could be made. Previously, it was either guess-work, or brains could be analysed only after a patient's death. What has emerged from these studies is a very serious challenge to what we call "reality" and our perception of it. The brain does many things without our realising it. Apart from the obvious ones like keeping the heart and lungs pumping, there is the issue of what we "see". We like to think that when we "look" at something or somebody, we are seeing a continuous image. That's simply not the case. Beyond the fact that the eye undergoes a rapid shifting motion called "saccading", it's also converting photons into electrical signals. The brain must interpret the incoming messages and make sense of them. When it finally sends a message to the frontal cortex, an "image" has been recorded and you are now in a position to react to it. The many vagaries in the operation of the brain in creating the mind, lead many in the humanities to scorn cognitive neuroscience. Frith uses his English professor as a foil to challenge the value of his work. "You can't pin down the mind like a specimen in a display case", he has her intone. But Frith's work and that of the many researchers he cites, demonstrates the fallacy of believing that we are in control of our minds. Vision is but one area where the brain must interpret input and build a result for you to understand. The brain has developed a number of tricks to help itself produce something meaningful from what the senses tell it. The chief resource in this mental technique is memory. From our earliest years, the brain has been recording and cataloguing various inputs to assist in the formation of what we think we perceive. A point that must be remembered through all this is that the catalog isn't something that the devices can pinpoint for us to analyse. Memory, though it has fairly well-defined pathways, is part of a very dynamic and elusive system. What it produces for our conscious use is highly arbitrary. The brain may serve up memory images almost as a whim. Very little of it is under our control, yet we continue to assert we are given "free will". Frith doesn't deny there's an element of will in how we think, but it's anything but "will" in an absolute sense. And we must be cautious about how free of constraints it is. Since the brain is faced with countless episodes of false information, such as optical illusions, those memories we depend upon as the foundation for decisions, "free will" comes close to being meaningless. For the person new to the ideas and research being done in how the brain works, this book is the ideal starting point. It's invaluable for the concepts it introduces and explains - so far as is known, and does so in a compelling manner. While he chides the English teacher on the one hand, he pays attention to her comments as a lever for introducing a topic needing further explanation. And his explanations, while challenging some long-held philosophical notions, demonstrate how much we've learned, yet still need to know about the brain. A fine gift for a student seeking a career path. What we learn about the brain tells us a great deal about who we are. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Who's in charge in there? *****

It's hard to resolve where the best place to encounter Chris Frith might be - a classroom, a pub, or a party. In this book, the last is set as a means of providing exchanges between a working cognitive neuroscientist and people from the humanities and other sciences - English and physics, in this case. Frith goes to some effort to show how many misconceptions about how the mind works still exist in our society. He wants to set those right, and does so splendidly in this book on the workings of the brain. With a style one might almost describe as jocular, Frith reveals how the brain deals with the world outside and within us.

Frith had the good fortune to enter the field as the new, non-intrusive methods of brain imaging were emerging. Big, cumbersome and expensive, these tools, the PET, fMRI and CAT scanning devices soon came into more widespread use. These machines could map the living brain, while patients could be queried or given tests to assist in determining which brain areas were active at a given time. Frith describes these tools as moving brain studies from a "soft" science to a "hard" science in which detailed measurements could be made. Previously, it was either guess-work, or brains could be analysed only after a patient's death.

What has emerged from these studies is a very serious challenge to what we call "reality" and our perception of it. The brain does many things without our realising it. Apart from the obvious ones like keeping the heart and lungs pumping, there is the issue of what we "see". We like to think that when we "look" at something or somebody, we are seeing a continuous image. That's simply not the case. Beyond the fact that the eye undergoes a rapid shifting motion called "saccading", it's also converting photons into electrical signals. The brain must interpret the incoming messages and make sense of them. When it finally sends a message to the frontal cortex, an "image" has been recorded and you are now in a position to react to it.

The many vagaries in the operation of the brain in creating the mind, lead many in the humanities to scorn cognitive neuroscience. Frith uses his English professor as a foil to challenge the value of his work. "You can't pin down the mind like a specimen in a display case", he has her intone. But Frith's work and that of the many researchers he cites, demonstrates the fallacy of believing that we are in control of our minds.

Vision is but one area where the brain must interpret input and build a result for you to understand. The brain has developed a number of tricks to help itself produce something meaningful from what the senses tell it. The chief resource in this mental technique is memory. From our earliest years, the brain has been recording and cataloguing various inputs to assist in the formation of what we think we perceive. A point that must be remembered through all this is that the catalog isn't something that the devices can pinpoint for us to analyse. Memory, though it has fairly well-defined pathways, is part of a very dynamic and elusive system. What it produces for our conscious use is highly arbitrary. The brain may serve up memory images almost as a whim. Very little of it is under our control, yet we continue to assert we are given "free will". Frith doesn't deny there's an element of will in how we think, but it's anything but "will" in an absolute sense. And we must be cautious about how free of constraints it is. Since the brain is faced with countless episodes of false information, such as optical illusions, those memories we depend upon as the foundation for decisions, "free will" comes close to being meaningless.

For the person new to the ideas and research being done in how the brain works, this book is the ideal starting point. It's invaluable for the concepts it introduces and explains - so far as is known, and does so in a compelling manner. While he chides the English teacher on the one hand, he pays attention to her comments as a lever for introducing a topic needing further explanation. And his explanations, while challenging some long-held philosophical notions, demonstrate how much we've learned, yet still need to know about the brain. A fine gift for a student seeking a career path. What we learn about the brain tells us a great deal about who we are. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]