Emotion+Reason,+and+the+Human+Brain

//Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain// - Natalie Marcantonio "Antonio Damasio." //Scholars Council//. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. . Barth, Hilary, Craig Geneve, Jessica Kaslow, Deborah Melnick, and Shamir Khan. "Descartes Error: Reviews." //Descartes Error: Reviews//. Serendip Studio, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. Dennett, Daniel C. "Review of Damasio, Descartes' Error." //Review of Damasio, Descartes'// //Error.// N.p., 25 Aug. 1995. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. Eakin, Emily. "Descartes versus Spinosa: Mind and Body." //Descartes versus Spinosa: Mind and// //Body.// New York Times, 19 Apr. 2003. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. Macmillan, Malcolm. "Phineas Gage -Unravelling the Myth." //Phineas Gage -Unravelling the// //Myth.// N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. Zimmerman, Corinne. “Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain.” //Canadian// //Journal of Experimental Psychology//. (1996) 1. Web. 06 Jan. 2016.
 * 1) **Aim:** // Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain // is a very impactful piece of literature that analyzed the dichotomy between the view that the mind is separate from the body and the view that the mind and body are one. This is of course not to be taken literally, the two views have to do with the rationality and emotions, not only the brain and the body itself. The dualistic view is the belief of there being a separation of rationality and emotion, while the other is that emotions and rationality guide behavior and decision making. In his book António Damásio discusses this division between the two and how the dualism of the body, the view of René Descartes, is incorrect and that the mind and body are one, according to his somatic marker hypothesis. In this hypothesis he focused on the science of how the brain is “one organ among many [...] just one more somewhat fractious servant, working to further the interests of the body that shelters and fuels it” (Dennett 1). His goal in arguing this standpoint is to show his readers the “shared balance of powers” between the mind and the body to create a human. Through his description of the human brain as “one organ among many” he is emphasizing how the brain and body are equally important in making a person who they are, just like rationality and emotions are important in making a person who they are because both have a large impact on the decisions a person makes. Damásio believes and wants his readers to understand that the brain and rationality are not the only thing that determine what a person does, but also the body itself and emotions because reasoning cannot determine everything a person can do.
 * 2) **Audience**: The audience of //Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain// are scientists in the scientific community, specifically neuroscientists, and people in favor of Descartes’ theory about the dualism of the mind and the body. In this time period there was some in opposition to Damásio’s theory of the mind and the body being one, specifically concerning the story of a man named Phineas Gage. Gage, a nineteenth century railway worker sustained brain damage from an explosion that made a 3 foot tamping iron go right through his skull, yet he miraculously survived. This injury not only caused him brain damage but it also caused him a severe personality change and he was no longer able to function in society. The unlikelihood of the turn of events in the story is what caused some to criticize his book and his theory. Henry Pickering Bowditch commented how he was “ amazed at the inexactitude and distortion” of the story of Gage that “men who have some pet theory to support”(Macmillan) use to support their own theories. This reasoning is what fueled criticism of his book and his theories. Damásion used the story as a way to show how without parts of the brain a human could not fully function like they used to, and that therefore it is through the combined effort of the brain and the body to produce rationality and emotions. However, due to the improbable turn of events in this story, members of his audience criticized his theory.
 * 3) **Historical**: In the 90’s the ideas that Damásio suggested in his book // Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain // opposed and countered “common folk wisdom” that contained “implications for neuroscience, cognitive science, and philosophy” (Zimmerman), and these ideas received both good and bad criticism. Like in the previous paragraph, scientists questioned his theory and his ideas because of different examples he used to prove his theory, like the story of Phineas Gage, however there were some who accepted and welcomed his new way of thinking. For example, Jaak Panksepp, who is a neuroscientist and director of a program called Affective Neuroscience at the Falk Center for molecular Therapeutics based at Northwestern University states Dr. Damásio has “done some of the most spectacular brain-imaging work that shows us what emotions are like in the brain” (Eakin), and thus supports Dr. Damásio and his ideas. Damásio’s ideas had great weight in both a negative and positive way in the 90’s and because of that he is what started a movement neuroscientists called an “affect movement” that completely changed neuroscience and other fields. Another who supported Damásio, Jonathan Bate, a Shakespeare school at the University of Liverpool agreed with Damásio that “the division between reason and passion, or cognition and emotion [...] is, from a neurological point of view, a fallacy” (Eakin). However, once the 20th century rolled around Damásio’s views started to be ignored as the new idea that human beings could be understood by purely observing what they did became more accepted. Despite this, Damásio’s ideas still made a large impact on the scientific community.
 * 4) **Cultural**: Currently, //Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain// and Damásio’s ideas from the book still have a major impact on individuals, specifically students in college who are pursuing neuroscience degrees. This is due to the fact that the students are learning and are more willing to learn about his theory and to not immediately criticize it. Dr. Damásio is currently a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California and also an adjunct professor at the Salk Institute where he speaks to students about the different ideas in Descartes’ Error and his other books, like his “somatic marker hypothesis”. This hypothesis and his personal presentation of the information can influence students who want to pursue neuroscience because they are being offered a different perspective from a different time period, thus giving students the freedom of choosing their views on the mind/body dualism question. For example, six students who were studying Neural and Behavior Sciences reviewed //Descartes’ Error// and commented that Damásio “undertakes an ambitious task: to convince the reader to reconsider the preconceptions he or she is likely to have on the subject of rationality and decision-making” and that he “succeeds in this task, having compiled an impressive array of evidence for his theory” (Barth, et. al.). Despite having his idea lose support in the 20th century Damásio and his book //Descartes’ Error// still can have a major impact on students who are learning about the neurosciences and who are deciding what they agree with and don’t agree with when it comes to theories like Damásio’s due to the “impressive array of evidence for his theory”. Damásio’s ideas have been recognized through the multiple awards he has received like the Grawemeyer Award and has been named “Highly Cited Researcher” by the Institute for Scientific Information, thus implying that since Damásio is a “Highly Cited Researcher” that means he still has a large impact on today’s society.
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