The Tell-Tale Brain
by V. S. Ramachandran · first published 2011
6mentions
6recommended by
6HN commenters
2012–2022first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Accessible neuroscience writing that changes how you think about perception, cognition and what makes humans unique; suits readers curious about the brain without a specialist background.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Explores why the human brain is so unique and how it became so enchantingly complex. This title reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about the brain and how it evolved.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…no way for you to stop me from imagining a solution based simply on your two sentence description of the product. If you want to learn more about this process, there's a book by a neuroscientist, The Tell-Tale Brain by VS Ramachandran, which delves into the process of mirroring and meme spreading.
on “Google accused of racketeering in lawsuit” ↗I really enjoy books on neuroscience that change the way I think about perception. Phantoms in the Brain by V S Ramachandran - a book about how the brain organises itself in bizarre edge cases. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes us Human. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes us Human by the same author is also worth reading. Admissions by Henry Marsh - An experienced…
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗The Tell-Tale Brain - V S Ramachandran. This has been one awesome book.
on “Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?” ↗Ramachandrans The Tell-Tale Brain is certainly one of my favorite books, anyone who is interested in neurobiology should read it.
on “The neurology of self-awareness” ↗…by a doctor VS Ramachandran. He wrote a few books, they're somewhat pop Sci but include a fair bit of in depth knowledge. His book Phantoms in the Brain covers a lot of this. Another book of his, The Tell Tale Brain, is a bit more general but it's also a fascinating looking at how the physical brain and consciousness intersect, especially in regards to disease
on “Researchers find link between nerve damage and long Covid” ↗…read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases. "The Tell-Tale Brain": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how "seeing" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation,…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗