Who's in Charge?

Free Will and the Science of the Brain

By: Michael S. Gazzaniga

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The father of cognitive neuroscience and author of Human offers a provocative argument against the common belief that our lives are wholly determined by physical processes and we are therefore not responsible for our actions.

A powerful orthodoxy in the study of the brain has taken hold in recent years: Since physical laws govern the physical world and our own brains are part of that world, physical laws therefore govern our behavior and even our conscious selves. Free will is meaningless, goes the mantra; we live in a “determined” world.

Not so, argues the renowned neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga in this thoughtful, provocative book based on his Gifford Lectures - one of the foremost lecture series in the world dealing with religion, science, and philosophy. Who's in Charge? proposes that the mind, which is somehow generated by the physical processes of the brain, “constrains” the brain just as cars are constrained by the traffic they create. Writing with what Steven Pinker has called “his trademark wit and lack of pretension”, Gazzaniga shows how determinism immeasurably weakens our views of human responsibility; it allows a murderer to argue, in effect, “It wasn’t me who did it - it was my brain.” Gazzaniga convincingly argues that even given the latest insights into the physical mechanisms of the mind, there is an undeniable human reality: We are responsible agents who should be held accountable for our actions, because responsibility is found in how people interact, not in brains.

An extraordinary book that ranges across neuroscience, psychology, ethics, and the law with a light touch but profound implications, Who’s in Charge? is a lasting contribution from one of the leading thinkers of our time.

©2011 Michael S. Gazzaniga (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fascinating affirmation of our essential humanity." ( Kirkus)

Interesting but not 'easy'.

This is an engaging read even if some parts of a little boring or dry. I think it's an important book especially if you're interested in neuroscience. It was not a book that I can just listen to while I puttered, I had to concentrate and think. I'm sure I still missed things and would've been better if I read this in class and there was seminar is after a couple of chapters to further discuss some concepts. But I'm glad I read it. It was rather academic, a little dry but definitely interesting parts made up for that. For the end there were issues about the law and implications. Since it was written in 2010 I'd be very interested to see what the addendum would look like given any advancements seven years later. I'd recommend it but be warned this is not an easy read. (At least it wasn't for me…)

Not Superficial

Despite being nearly 7 years old, this book has good information on Neuroscience Frontiers. It does not shy away from the scientific explanations of brain activity as determined through experimentation.

good but wanted more

A bit of philosophy and a bit of science. I learned allot about split brain patients and the difference between the two hemispheres, but it left me with a lot of questions still unanswered.

Great book

Any additional comments?

There is a lot of interesting information in this book. The title would have you believe it is about the unconscious mind but its really about the whole brain, and whole person for that matter. He does go off on a lot of different tangents, but very interesting ones.

Yes, indeed!

It seems that self-obsessed humans ....or more accurately groups of humans....cling to fairy tales and myths of convenience rather than delight in the understanding that even unconscious “thoughts” originate within them, and that survival of the fittest and perpetuation of the species are always what an organism strives for. The “global community” that we hear so much about these days....needs to place focus on adapting to the current conditions that threaten mankind, or the laws that govern systems will handle it for us. I can foresee large numbers of humans being eradicated by the system. World war, famine, etc....are some of the ways ecosystems cleanse themselves. Sort of like the purpose of a forest fire. Thank you for this.

WOW just Wow!

This book will absolutely change the way you look at people behavior and probably change the way you look at yourself. Great book!

Amazing read/ listen

The topic is very interesting and accessible. I am no scientist or neurologist, but the way things are explained is very intuitive and easy to understand. And it did teach me about things I did not know and also, about things I never thought about. Finally, shout out to the audible reader. His voice keeps our attention.

Holding Us Responsible

Brain expert Michael Gazzaniga uses physics, psychology, neurology and sociology in this fascinating and enlightening argument that we are, in fact, in charge of our own lives. Like Daniel Dennett in Elbow Room and Steven Pinker in How The Mind Works, Gazzaniga addresses the problem of the supposed "deterministic" nature of the physical universe and how it is that we escape moral determinism in our decision making, living in this world and having a brain made of matter. He puts to rest what Dennett calls a "philosophical bugbear" with wit and good sense, showing us what we really knew all along--despite the physical nature of our brains, we are in charge of what we do with it.

Expert explains it to the rest of us

The author speaks with authority when he describes the working of the mind. Many of the other books I've been reading recently had mentioned the author's experiments on the hemispheres in the brain and how the mind works. Often, a primary researcher is not gifted at explaining, but Gazzaniga is.

In the book he does cite an official definition of consciousness that states that there are over 10000 scientific articles about consciousness and none of them add to our understanding. Who we are and what we are is just not easily understood, but this book does bring me closer to understanding.

The book also delves around a little with quantum physics and evolution. As usual, when an expert in another field, in this case neuroscience, and writes well in his own field, he writes even better when talking about other fields.

The book won't appeal to someone who wants absolute answers, because the understanding of the questions he is addressing are still fuzzy. Anyone, whose interest about neuroscience has been aroused and wants to know more about the right left brain will enjoy this well written book.

Humung-kulous!

i liked it. advanced stuff though it is. very interesting. will listen to it again