redmeg8's review against another edition
4.0
SUPER-dense, scientifically technical, thought-provoking like whoa. I LOVED IT! Will listen again.
vtijms's review
2.0
Eric Kandel deserves a lot of praise. Not only did his pioneering work on the neurobiology of memory pave the way for our modern understanding of mind, he has also untiringly pursued the integration of neuroscience and psychiatry. Moreover, he has always resisted going along with the widespread dismissal of Freudian thought in neuroscience, and kept an open mind with regard to psychoanalysis. For all his work, Kandel deserves praise.
But not for this book.
While I enjoyed his depiction of coffeehouse Vienna, where a new understanding of humanity was translated into medical practice, psychological thought and artistic expression, the book is mostly a failed attempt at integrating neuroscience and art. Failed, because the discussion of art is too limited in scope. Failed, because much of the neuroscience is superfluous. Failed, because these two strands only meet in a superficial, trivial fashion - it hardly ever becomes clear how the neuroscience of art perception is anything more than the neuroscience of perception, let alone how neuroscience could influence art, or the theorizing about it.
Moreover, despite Kandel's eminence in the field, his neuroscience is oversimplified. This is not just due to the popular nature of the book, it really seems like Kandel wants to shoehorn empirical data into his framework of how minds work. A naive reader might be forgiven for thinking that neuroscientists have no problem distinguishing conscious from non-conscious processes, that the social brain is a clearly delineated system and that brain lateralization holds the key to understanding creativity. However, none of this is the case and Kandel is most definitely overplaying the implications and certainty of the research he discusses.
This book could have been interesting, if it had been a more earnest attempt to bridge the gap between art and science. Spending more time on accurately portraying the state of neuroscience, having art historians weigh in on the claims about Vienna 1900 and focusing more on those areas where neuroscience and art theory can inform each other, might have made for a more enlightening read.
But not for this book.
While I enjoyed his depiction of coffeehouse Vienna, where a new understanding of humanity was translated into medical practice, psychological thought and artistic expression, the book is mostly a failed attempt at integrating neuroscience and art. Failed, because the discussion of art is too limited in scope. Failed, because much of the neuroscience is superfluous. Failed, because these two strands only meet in a superficial, trivial fashion - it hardly ever becomes clear how the neuroscience of art perception is anything more than the neuroscience of perception, let alone how neuroscience could influence art, or the theorizing about it.
Moreover, despite Kandel's eminence in the field, his neuroscience is oversimplified. This is not just due to the popular nature of the book, it really seems like Kandel wants to shoehorn empirical data into his framework of how minds work. A naive reader might be forgiven for thinking that neuroscientists have no problem distinguishing conscious from non-conscious processes, that the social brain is a clearly delineated system and that brain lateralization holds the key to understanding creativity. However, none of this is the case and Kandel is most definitely overplaying the implications and certainty of the research he discusses.
This book could have been interesting, if it had been a more earnest attempt to bridge the gap between art and science. Spending more time on accurately portraying the state of neuroscience, having art historians weigh in on the claims about Vienna 1900 and focusing more on those areas where neuroscience and art theory can inform each other, might have made for a more enlightening read.
rboone's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most fascinating things I've read, and it's remarkably well-written. By exploring early 20th century Vienna (Klimt, Freud, Kokoshka), Kandel explores all of us. The book is primarily about our relationship to art, but ultimately, it's about our striving, if you subscribe to the belief that art is the highest point in the pyramid of human achievement. What we strive for defines us more accurately than any other measure, and Kandel explains quite well how what we currently strive for began in this nearly perfect city.
Incidentally, it also bumped Vienna up a bit on my to-visit list.
Incidentally, it also bumped Vienna up a bit on my to-visit list.
lordasriel's review against another edition
5.0
I am (very) partial to inter-disciplinary studies, after all, one could argue (as Prof.Kandel does) that the entire history of science could be seen as a quest towards knowledge unification and reductionism.
That said: This book is at a different level. Too much to pack in a review but will just mention as an example that there is a part in which the author is reviewing “Judith” by Gustav Klimt purely from the point of view of brain chemistry, trying to guess what different compounds are released in our brains as we focus on different parts of the painting.
Brilliant.
That said: This book is at a different level. Too much to pack in a review but will just mention as an example that there is a part in which the author is reviewing “Judith” by Gustav Klimt purely from the point of view of brain chemistry, trying to guess what different compounds are released in our brains as we focus on different parts of the painting.
Brilliant.
tonstantweader's review against another edition
5.0
While I am familiar with the rules of composition, I have often wondered why we like odd numbered compositions more than even, why the rule of thirds is the rule of thirds. I mean, we all know that it looks “right” but why? It’s hard-wired, so what’s the why behind the what. I read The Age of Insight hoping to find some answers. While I didn’t find answers to my specific questions, I did learn a lot more about how we are hard-wired not just to value art, but to be artists. I learned so much more about how our brain functions and how our brain functions on art and it was fabulous.
Eric Kandel is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a neuroscientist who knows more about how the brain works than most of the brains in the world united. He is also a polymath who might have majored in History rather than medicine if he had not fallen in love. I do have to say the most romantic gesture I have ever seen in a book is found in this book. I read it and could only say, “Awwwww.” Then I had to tell everyone because it was so sweet. Don’t worry, you’ll recognize it when you come to it.
Kandel looks at how art has been influenced by our growing understanding of the mind and of psychology and how our brains experience and appreciate art. We learn about the conscious, the unconscious and why it’s always a smart thing to go putter around or go for a walk when you’re stuck trying to solve a problem. We learn a lot about fin de siècle Vienna and the social scene that mixed scientists, doctors, and artists together to cross-pollinate and they did – leading to the Expressionist movement and a wild burst of creativity in science, medicine, psychology and art.
Do not be intimidated by the idea of a Nobel neuroscientist writing a book for you to read. Kandel writes beautifully and clearly. He never condescends or dumbs it down, but he distills the central ideas without overloading readers with minute details. He explains processes with clarity and makes effective use of metaphors. It also seems as though neuroscience is unique in the sciences in not creating a taxonomy of exclusion. Here’s an example of what I mean, “Segregation of information begins in the primary visual cortex. There, as we have seen, information is relayed along one of two parallel pathways—the what pathway and the where pathway.” Why they didn’t name the what pathway the flibbertyhoosit I have no idea, but hooray for names that are descriptive. This makes it much easier to follow and so even though I am a lay reader who didn’t even take biology in high school, I had no trouble following the science.
Kandel is a beautiful writer and when he writes about art, he is eloquent and authoritative. He talks about emotional reactions to art and you know that he his talking about how art moves him. He has the scientist’s gift of organizing information so the book makes sense in how it presents information. it all hangs together into one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I enjoyed it so much that I have backtracked and read passages again just for the pleasure of understanding what he is talking about when it’s a topic I should feel intimidated by and for the joy of reading someone who loves art, science, the mind, and wants to bring them all together. He is enthusiastic, excited by the idea of consilience – a unity of knowledge, though doubtful that it can happen in the foreseeable future, but reading this book, you can see the potential even within this one man.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/9781400068715/
Eric Kandel is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a neuroscientist who knows more about how the brain works than most of the brains in the world united. He is also a polymath who might have majored in History rather than medicine if he had not fallen in love. I do have to say the most romantic gesture I have ever seen in a book is found in this book. I read it and could only say, “Awwwww.” Then I had to tell everyone because it was so sweet. Don’t worry, you’ll recognize it when you come to it.
Kandel looks at how art has been influenced by our growing understanding of the mind and of psychology and how our brains experience and appreciate art. We learn about the conscious, the unconscious and why it’s always a smart thing to go putter around or go for a walk when you’re stuck trying to solve a problem. We learn a lot about fin de siècle Vienna and the social scene that mixed scientists, doctors, and artists together to cross-pollinate and they did – leading to the Expressionist movement and a wild burst of creativity in science, medicine, psychology and art.
Do not be intimidated by the idea of a Nobel neuroscientist writing a book for you to read. Kandel writes beautifully and clearly. He never condescends or dumbs it down, but he distills the central ideas without overloading readers with minute details. He explains processes with clarity and makes effective use of metaphors. It also seems as though neuroscience is unique in the sciences in not creating a taxonomy of exclusion. Here’s an example of what I mean, “Segregation of information begins in the primary visual cortex. There, as we have seen, information is relayed along one of two parallel pathways—the what pathway and the where pathway.” Why they didn’t name the what pathway the flibbertyhoosit I have no idea, but hooray for names that are descriptive. This makes it much easier to follow and so even though I am a lay reader who didn’t even take biology in high school, I had no trouble following the science.
Kandel is a beautiful writer and when he writes about art, he is eloquent and authoritative. He talks about emotional reactions to art and you know that he his talking about how art moves him. He has the scientist’s gift of organizing information so the book makes sense in how it presents information. it all hangs together into one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I enjoyed it so much that I have backtracked and read passages again just for the pleasure of understanding what he is talking about when it’s a topic I should feel intimidated by and for the joy of reading someone who loves art, science, the mind, and wants to bring them all together. He is enthusiastic, excited by the idea of consilience – a unity of knowledge, though doubtful that it can happen in the foreseeable future, but reading this book, you can see the potential even within this one man.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/9781400068715/
marziesreads's review against another edition
5.0
This promises to be a long, dense read but I already am fascinated after the first two chapters....
More...