The Mind and the Brain

Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force

By: Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Sharon Begley

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Conventional science has long held the position that 'the mind' is merely an illusion, a side effect of electrochemical activity in the physical brain. Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2002 Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begley (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Interesting information but horrible reader

Schwartz is an important scientist and therefore interesting information BUT the reader sounds like a computer and is boring to listen to. I found myself struggling to stay attentive.

Opens our minds to possibilities

This non-fiction book was engaging and informative. It is kind of dense, but once you get into it, there is so much great information about the brain and how it works. Neuroplasticity provides so many possibilities.

The reader does an excellent job.

Digression into a very long trek around tGrandma's

if the authors spent less time on the dramatic story of the fate of the monkeys, spent less time rehashing some of the repeated yet needless emotional journey, I might have enjoyed it. Standing on Eastern spiritualism without even a footnote to the sheer potential of Christian spiritual practices equally compelling was also telling of some of the lesser researched areas that could have been of greater value to treatment practices. Honestly, I think they tried to be non-Christian in actual practice despite the fact that secular knowledge alone proved itself a payday missing a check. Particle Physics freaked out over the loss of locality & the observance alteration issue because it lent original proof of the existence of eternity outside of time, multiple levels of existence, & God. Yet that entire issue is avoided in favour of Hindi based practices? They spend entire chapters on the life & times of the poor monkeys, but not even a blurb about how the fields of quantum & particle physics struggled to muffle the uproar they fell into? Wow. Way to dodge the bullet that would totally prove your own theory's basis, that we are more than the physical & that this "more than" part can be used to alter it. Great work from you. I am impressed you got this far dodging the obvious & clearer path to success.

Only got through it because it was interesting.

Any additional comments?

I have a passion for neuroscience, so it's the only reason i tolerated the narration, which sounded computer generated. Fascinating material (although a few side jaunts that seemed, well side-tracked). I have told my friends that if i had it to do over, i would borrow the print version from the library.

Appreciable effort but

I strongly disagree with the view and definition of "free will" that is presented in the book. It mixes science and somewhat religious views in my opinion.

Mostly disappointing

Any additional comments?

The premise here is based on a very shaky link between quantum mechanics and the mind. It's an attempt to smuggle Cartesian dualism back into the world through the back door of physics. Most neuroscientists dismiss the quantum brain theory which boils down to the following claim: the mind is not produced by the brain but by quantum states. This borders on magic. Apart from the first couple of chapters on mindfulness and attention, which I found interesting, the author creates an argument that is a huge stretch. He delves into enormous and unnecessary detail, like an account of animal cruelty in a lab. I don't recommend this book. Another Audible book - The Ravenous Brain - does a great job debunking the quantum mind theory, and that's where I would direct other Audible clients.

Only read if you are a Neuroscience junkie.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If the author had written a more engaging narrative that would help his readers apply his findings to their own lives, much more like the "Down the Rabbit Hole" movies. The author spends most of his time trying to prove how right he is. It reads more like a dissertation than a book one might buy to leaner more about the fascinating field of neuroplasticity.

Has The Mind and the Brain turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

He's a little dry. I know the material is very dry, but adding more inflection might have helped keep me engaged.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance and disappointment.