Quick Look
A cross-disciplinary book which encompasses medicine, quantum physics, open-systems biology, consciousness studies, epistemology, the arts and philosophy, to explore our understanding of ourselves and our world.
Description
The world, we are told, is made up of particles and forces. Evolution, impelled by the single purpose of survival, is guided by chance through natural selection -- survival of the fittest. DNA, from the core of each cell, directs the chemical-mechanical unfolding of life. Consciousness and self are mere artefacts of the brain’s firing neurons, it is argued.
The great scientific revolution of the last five hundred years, with its technological glories and medical miracles, has arrived at the above set of summary conclusions -- or some slightly tweaked variations -- depicting a random, indifferent and wholly impersonal cosmos.
But it is a picture that has been fraying at the edges for some time. Progress in medicine, quantum physics, open-systems biology, consciousness studies, epistemology, the arts and philosophy all point in a radically different direction. However, fresh, coherent narratives have not yet fully emerged out of this progress, and so the old model stubbornly endures. Hearts and Minds: Reclaiming the Soul of Science and Medicine tells a tale of emerging discoveries that restore ourselves and our own understanding as integral to the workings of the world.
Reviews
'Hearts and Minds is a remarkable book. Alexander, a veteran writer on medical research and therapies, takes us directly into an exploration of a central question of our time: is everything -- most importantly consciousness (including thinking, feeling, meaning, and values) produced ultimately by neurons, molecules, DNA and hormones? It is a rich offering -- always exciting, well-told and made understandable to us less-than-expert readers.'
-- Douglas Sloan, Professor of History and Education Emeritus at Columbia University, New York
Author
Walter Alexander is a New York City-based veteran medical journalist who covers clinical research across a range of specialties, including cardiology, oncology and integrative medicine.
