Title: The Accidental Mind – How Brain Evolution Have Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God
Author: David J. Linden
Genre: Nonfiction/Evolutionary Neuropsychology
The Accidental Mind is a straightforward, scientific, but accessible discussion of how our brains work despite the fact that they are composed of inefficient, slow, unreliable neurons that have glommed together into increasingly complex structures with control systems that have a very limited capacity for turning off control systems, even when those controls are counterproductive.
The author starts out by describing exactly how neurons work, moves to how brains evolved, and then proceeds to explain why this kludgy agglomeration of ad hoc solutions processes sensations, memory, and experience. That’s followed up by a survey of the current state of neuroscientific research on dreams, sexual orientation, and the religious impulse. Throughout the book, Linden is very clear on what has been well described and understood (mostly the chemical and mechanical processes at the cellular level), what the current thinking is based on research, and what is possible to extrapolate from that research. He winds up with a concise, cogent argument against intelligent design, noting that as it is not possible to falsify through experimentation and research, it doesn’t meet the threshold of a scientific theory. Finally, he explains why we occasionally read about studies that seem fairly odd and useless (how rabbits learn to blink) and why they’re relevant to research.
As you’ve probably guessed, Linden doesn’t hold back on scientific terminology. However, he does give excellent explanations, combined with well-annotated illustrations and examples from research. I probably couldn’t repeat back to you the details of how long-term synaptic depression is different from long-term synaptic potentiation, but I assure you that I mostly understood it in context, and any lack of comprehension on my part didn’t prevent me from getting the gist of the discussion.
I recognize that most people don’t read evolutionary psychology for fun. But if you wanted to give it a try, this would be a good place to start.