Why this book?
- To become acquainted with the neuroscientific explanation of phenomena such as consciousness, memory, and will.
- To understand the relationship between the brain, mind, and human behaviors.
- For readers interested in the philosophy of mind and neuroscience.
- To see the connection between medical topics, ethics, and the issue of determinism and free will.
About the book
"The Creation and Evolution of the Brain and Mind" by Taghi Kimiaei Asadi, a physician and subspecialist in electrodiagnostic medicine, is an extensive work at the intersection of neuroscience, biology, psychology, and the philosophy of mind. The book begins with topics such as the origin of the universe, the beginning of life, and the evolution of the nervous system, and then reaches the structure and function of the human brain.
The author then explains phenomena such as the perception of the inner and outer world, memory, emotion, feeling, thinking, reasoning, the perception of time and space, religious experiences, will, wakefulness, consciousness, sleep, and dreams, relying on brain mechanisms. In the text of the book, every phenomenon that appears in consciousness is considered a "window" onto the stage of the mind.
The book's place in the author's thought is to propose a kind of biological view of the human mind and behavior. Kimiaei Asadi tries to show that much of what we attribute to the "self," "will," and "responsibility" is linked to the electrochemical networks and processes of the brain; hence, the book also engages with the issue of determinism and free will.
This book is suitable for readers who want to approach philosophical questions about the mind, consciousness, will, ethics, and responsibility through the path of neuroscience. Given the volume and scope of the discussion, the text is usable for the interested general reader, but a full understanding requires patience and a basic familiarity with biology and neuroscience.