Broca's Brain
Reflections on the Romance of Science
by Carl Sagan · first published 1979
25% recommend75% neutral
Explorers various aspects of several fields of science and examines the role of the intellect in scientific achievement.
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I enjoyed the personal story, it was quite gripping! Inspired by "Broca's Brain" by Carl Sagan, I made it halfway through medical school with the intention of being a psychiatrist, before I finally realized that, on closer examination, psychiatry was not only a scam, but actually…
on “Hacker News is 44% 18-24 year olds, 77% male” ↗For those interested in brain evolution and practical neuroscience/human behavior: Carl Sagan's books "Broca's Brain" and "The Dragons of Eden" from the 70's-80's are good initial reads on brain composition and evolution. The Sapolsky lectures and books are also great resources.
on “Two parallel neural ectoderm progenitors contribute to the developing brain” ↗…- The Way Things Work Paulos - Innumeracy Sagan - Cosmos Sagan - Broca's Brain Sagan - The Demon-Haunted World Salam - Science in the Third World Seife - Zero Weisskopf…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite physics sites, documentaries, books?” ↗…does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. -- Carl Sagan, "Broca's Brain"
on “The Kolmogorov option” ↗…although you could read it as one if you tilt your head properly. But how can you not know anything else about Carl Sagan? He wrote many books popularizing science, including Contact, The Dragons of Eden, Broca's Brain, and Cosmos. He also co-wrote and hosted the series Cosmos on PBS, which is the most-watched PBS show in history, and well worth watching on DVD. He was founder and first President of The Planetary Society…
on “The Dragon in My Garage” ↗…does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. -- Carl Sagan, "Broca's Brain"
on “I Have 50 Dollars” ↗“They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” ― Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science
on ““YouTube is shutting down dissenting Biology PhDs and MDs”” ↗Like me, you were probably exposed, like most of us, to the ideas in Carl Sagan's "The Dragons of Eden" and "Broca's Brain" The triune brain hypothesis became familiar to a broad popular audience through Carl Sagan's Pulitzer prize winning 1977 book The Dragons of Eden. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragons_of_Eden…
on “Myths about the brain” ↗…does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” ― Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science.
on “The Mastodon Bump Is Now a Slump” ↗Counter-counterpoint: "They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown." — Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain (1979).
on “Possible exposure of Earth to dense interstellar medium 2-3M years ago” ↗I think Carl Sagan discusses this topic in "Broca's Brain". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broca's_Brain
on “New algorithm discovers language just by watching videos” ↗…does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” ― Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science
on “The contrarian physics podcast subculture” ↗…that's usually not hard and you end up learning more in the process. Actually sometimes you even start to doubt what you've read when it's hard to come up with a second source. For example I read in "Broca's Brain" that Thomas Jefferson refused to believe in meteorites, but could not find a second source.
on “Ask HN: How do you share the stuff you find interesting while reading a book?” ↗