Boston and New York: Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. Paperback. Very Good. 12mo - over 6? - 7?" tall. Trade Paperback in Near Fine Condition. No specific defects. Clean and unmarked blue wraps, tight and solid, pages are completely unmarked. In this the author's first book, he bridges the two cultures of science and art. He demonstrates that science is not the only path to knowledge; in fact when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first. Taking a group of 19th and 20th century artists--a painter, a poet, a chef, a composer and some novelists--he shows how each one discovered an essential truth about the mind that neuroscience is only now rediiscovering, A stimulating book. 242 pages with Notes, Bibliography and Index. 2008, Mariner Books, Boston and New York.

Synopsis

In this technology-driven age, it’s tempting to believe that science can solve every mystery. After all, science has cured countless diseases and even sent humans into space. But as Jonah Lehrer argues in this sparkling debut, science is not the only path to knowledge. In fact, when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first. Taking a group of artists — a painter, a poet, a chef, a composer, and a handful of novelists — Lehrer shows how each one discovered an essential truth about the mind that science is only now rediscovering. We learn, for example, how Proust first revealed the fallibility of memory; how George Eliot discovered the brain’s malleability; how the French chef Escoffier discovered umami (the fifth taste); how Cézanne worked out the subtleties of vision; and how Gertrude Stein exposed the deep structure of language — a full half-century before the work of Noam Chomsky and other linguists. It’s the ultimate tale of art trumping science. More broadly, Lehrer shows that there’s a cost to reducing everything to atoms and acronyms and genes. Measurement is not the same as understanding, and art knows this better than science does. An ingenious blend of biography, criticism, and first-rate science writing, Proust Was a Neuroscientist urges science and art to listen more closely to each other, for willing minds can combine the best of both, to brilliant effect.

Reviews

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

Details

Bookseller: The Parnassus BookShop (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 026815
Title: Proust Was a Neuroscientist
Author: Lehrer, Jonah
Format/Binding: Paperback
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Quantity Available: 1
ISBN 10: 0547085907
ISBN 13: 9780547085906
Publisher: Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Place of Publication: Boston and New York
Date Published: 2008
Size: 12mo - over 6? - 7?" tall
Keywords: NEUROSIENCE; POETRY; WOOLF, VIRGINIA; WHITMAN, WALT; STEIN, GERTRUDE; STRAVINSKY, IVOR; REDUCTIONISM; SCIENCE; JAMES, WILLIAM;
Bookseller catalogs: Science;
X weight: 0 oz

Terms of Sale

The Parnassus BookShop

Shipment 5 days a week upon receipt of payment. If buyer wishes to return a book, buyer must notify us within 5 days of receipt of the item and return the item within 14 days of the date they notify us of the return. Refund will be made within 3 days of the receipt of the returned item.

About the Seller

The Parnassus BookShop

This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Biblio member since 2007

Newport, Washington

Ask Seller a Question

About The Parnassus BookShop

About The Parnassus BookShop: We love and cherish books, inside and out! The Parnassus BookShop is the online bookshop with the goal of providing you with just the book you want, in the best possible condition, with friendly, helpful service and professional, efficient handling of your book purchases. We specialize in history, literature, classics and modern classic fiction and non-fiction; mystery/British mystery; with a wide variety of general fiction, politics and government, nature/natural history, science, psychology, social sciences, the arts, music, children's books, etc. Please see our catalogs.

Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

New: A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
Trade Paperback: Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
12mo: A duodecimo is a book approximately 7 by 4.5 inches in size, or similar in size to a contemporary mass market paperback. Also...