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A review by em_r
Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain by David Eagleman
3.75
Fascinating stuff overall, I knew very little neuroscience background knowledge before going into this and now I'll never see the brain in the same way.
Interesting to hear about the research and technologies that have been/are being developed based on the 'livewired' setup of the brain that Eagleman describes.
I did however find some parts a bit idealistic or slightly lacking in awareness around possible limitations restricting practical applications of new technologies though, e.g:
- At one point Eagleman posits "One might wonder whether this sort of technology will lead to a two-tiered society: the haves and have-nots. I think the risk of economic stratification is low, because these devices are inexpensive".
This is after slightly earlier in the book stating "In contrast, modern technology can address hearing loss for some hundreds of dollars, which opens solutions for the whole globe." I would argue in this example that hundreds of dollars would not be considered inexpensive for a lot of households under financial strain and also that access may be limited or trickier to acquire based on someone's location.
- In describing how the functioning of the brain could influence technological advances he confidently says "We won't have to keep filling dumps with brittle devices forever more. Instead, self-reconfiguring devices will populate not only our biological world but also our manufactured world." Okay David, but have you also not heard of the concept of planned obsolescence? It isn't as if lack of longer lasting products is entirely down to manufacturers not knowing how to make stuff that lasts longer, so proliferation of new items that can repair/adapt themselves will also depend upon how profitable they can be in the current financial structures of a society.
Interesting to hear about the research and technologies that have been/are being developed based on the 'livewired' setup of the brain that Eagleman describes.
I did however find some parts a bit idealistic or slightly lacking in awareness around possible limitations restricting practical applications of new technologies though, e.g:
- At one point Eagleman posits "One might wonder whether this sort of technology will lead to a two-tiered society: the haves and have-nots. I think the risk of economic stratification is low, because these devices are inexpensive".
This is after slightly earlier in the book stating "In contrast, modern technology can address hearing loss for some hundreds of dollars, which opens solutions for the whole globe." I would argue in this example that hundreds of dollars would not be considered inexpensive for a lot of households under financial strain and also that access may be limited or trickier to acquire based on someone's location.
- In describing how the functioning of the brain could influence technological advances he confidently says "We won't have to keep filling dumps with brittle devices forever more. Instead, self-reconfiguring devices will populate not only our biological world but also our manufactured world." Okay David, but have you also not heard of the concept of planned obsolescence? It isn't as if lack of longer lasting products is entirely down to manufacturers not knowing how to make stuff that lasts longer, so proliferation of new items that can repair/adapt themselves will also depend upon how profitable they can be in the current financial structures of a society.