Reductionism in Art and Brain Science: Bridging the Two Cultures

All decisions and actions originate in our psyche thanks to neural networks. Malfunctions make us suffer, but sometimes they also give us the ability to make unconventional decisions and create masterpieces. In this book, Nobel laureate Eric Kandel looks at mental disorders through the lens of the “new biology of the mind”—the result of merging neurobiology and cognitive psychology. Advances in neuroimaging, animal modeling, and genetics help the author uncover the brain’s mysteries and outline approaches to treating mental—and even social—illnesses. He explores a wide range of intriguing questions. How important are genes in the development of mental disorders? What role does the unconscious play in creativity and decision-making? What do diseases, commonly divided into neurological and mental, have in common—and what are their biological mechanisms? And what do art and schizophrenia share with “ordinary” surrealists? Can psychoanalysis be revived? And what do all this knowledge give us?