大脑的幻象 (1998)

Phantoms in the Brain

科普非虚构作品

作者: 维莱亚努尔·拉马钱德兰、桑德拉·布莱克斯利
首版: 1998 年
国家/地区: 美国
Open Library: 1 个版本

百科

《脑中魅影》（Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind或Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind）是神经科学家维莱亚努尔·拉马钱德兰和《纽约时报》科普作家桑德拉·布莱克斯利于1998年出版的科普读物，籍由神经障碍案例研究，讨论了神经生理学和神经心理学。

该书一开始是向神经科学协会发表的演讲，其前言由神经科学家兼作家奥利佛·萨克斯撰写。

概要

拉马钱德兰讨论了他工作中遇到的一些神经障碍患者，他们表现出幻肢、卡普格拉综合征、中风后的假性延髓情绪和半侧空间忽略，以及与宗教经历相关的癫痫发作等症状。拉马钱德兰通过这些病例来说明身体意象的构建，以及心境、决策、自我欺骗和艺术技艺的形成。

在该书的最后一章，拉马钱德兰解决了所谓的意识困难问题，讨论了感质，以及自我的各个方面。

评价

神经病学研究员米奇·戈德堡为《纽约时报》撰稿，称这本书“令人着迷，它不但清晰且有说服力地描述了神经现象及其与生理机制的关系，以及它们与心灵哲学的整合，还描绘了拉马钱德兰这位寻找人类思想秘密的狂热者。”对于拉马钱德兰关于意识的讨论，戈德堡写道：“这里他失败了，仅仅是因为神经科学还不知道如何使自我具体化……但这是一个了不起的失败。”

弗朗西斯·克里克在评论该书时写道：“生动活泼，内容丰富，并有意想不到的幽默来活跃气氛。这一切都突出了拉马敏锐的判断力、他的冷静和他的人性。”《柯克斯评论》写道：“拉马钱德兰将自己比作侦探，有着无限的好奇心，引领读者踏上一条引人入胜的破案之路。”

该书已被翻译成西班牙文、法文、日文、德文、韩文、土耳其文、意大利文、荷兰文和希腊文。湖南科学技术出版社出版了其简体中文版，并归入其《第一推动丛书》。

以上文字摘自维基百科「脑中魅影」（去掉了参考文献等尾部小节），按 CC BY-SA 4.0 使用，作者为维基百科的各位编者。

中文维基百科的条目比较短，下面附上英文维基百科的内容（英文原文）：

Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind (also published as Phantoms in the Brain: Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind) is a 1998 popular science book by neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran and New York Times science writer Sandra Blakeslee, discussing neurophysiology and neuropsychology as revealed by case studies of neurological disorders.

The book, which began as a lecture presented to the Society for Neuroscience, features a foreword by neuroscientist and author Oliver Sacks.

Synopsis

Ramachandran discusses his work with patients exhibiting phantom limbs, the Capgras delusion, pseudobulbar affect and hemispatial neglect following stroke, and religious experiences associated with epileptic seizure, among other disorders. Ramachandran uses these cases to illustrate the construction of body image, and the functioning of mood, decision-making, self-deception, and artistic skill.

In the final chapter of the book, Ramachandran addresses the so-called hard problem of consciousness, discussing qualia and various facets of the self.

Reception

Neurology researcher Michael E. Goldberg, writing for The New York Times, described the book as "enthralling not only for its clear, eloquent descriptions of neurological phenomena, their relationship to physiological mechanisms and their integration with philosophy of mind, but also for its portrait of Ramachandran, the enthusiast in search of the secrets of the human mind." On Ramachandran's discursion on consciousness, Goldberg writes, "Here he fails, simply because neuroscience has no clue yet how to render the self concrete...but it is a noble failure."

Francis Crick wrote of the book, "The style is lively and informative, and enlivened by unexpected touches of humor. Through it all shines Rama's good sense, his hard-headedness and his humanity." Kirkus Reviews wrote that "Ramachandran, who likens himself to a sleuth and has boundless curiosity, leads readers on a riveting trail of detection."

The book has been translated into Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Korean, Turkish, Italian, Dutch, and Greek.

以上文字摘自英文维基百科「Phantoms in the Brain」（去掉了参考文献等尾部小节），按 CC BY-SA 4.0 使用，作者为维基百科的各位编者。