Within reason : rationality and human behavior / Donald B. Calne.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Calne, Donald B. (Donald Brian)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reason.

Reasoning (Psychology).

Physical Description:

xi, 332 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Pantheon Books, [1999]

Summary:

In Within Reason clinician and researcher Donald Calne clearly delineates what is now known about the place of reason in human thought and consciousness. Offering both a general explanation of the way the mind works and a passionate defense of the value of science and rationality, Calne argues that reason itself has no direct links to the brain's pathways of pleasure and satisfaction that motivate our behavior; instead, it is a vastly powerful tool put into the service of goals it cannot determine or change.

Calne makes accessible to the lay reader the languages of neurology and evolutionary biology, and demonstrates how reason has enabled humankind to achieve near total domination of the planet without providing a meaningful purpose for humanity. And while such a conclusion echoes the great religious and philosophical traditions, rarely has it been expressed with the persuasiveness or imbued with the potential for usefulness that, Calne shows us, only the reason of science can supply.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-314) and index.

ISBN:

0375403515

OCLC:

39658708