Incognito

The Secret Lives of the Brain

By: David Eagleman

Narrated by: David Eagleman

If the conscious mind - the part you consider to be you - is just the tip of the iceberg, what is the rest doing?

In this sparkling and provocative new book, the renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries: Why can your foot move halfway to the brake pedal before you become consciously aware of danger ahead? Why do you hear your name being mentioned in a conversation that you didn’t think you were listening to? What do Ulysses and the credit crunch have in common? Why did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant in 1916? Why are people whose names begin with J more likely to marry other people whose names begin with J? Why is it so difficult to keep a secret? And how is it possible to get angry at yourself - who, exactly, is mad at whom?

Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, Incognito is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2011 David Eagleman (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

"Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness.” (The New Yorker)

“Your mind is an elaborate trick, and mastermind David Eagleman explains how the trick works with great lucidity and amazement. Your mind will thank you.” (Wired magazine)

“A fun read by a smart person for smart people...it will attract a new generation to ponder their inner workings.” (New Scientist)

fascinating and fun.

This book unfurled in magnificent ways that both entertained and expanded my mind. Aspects of this book have altered my thinking and joined with other brain expanding books I've listened to; novel thoughts and connections spreading out like mycelium reaching through rich moist humus. Definitely worth your time.

Mind blowing

While on my own personal quest to answer the question Who am I? Where did I come from? And who the hell are you? I came across "Incognito." Challenging , intelligent and at times hilarious, I think I got what I came for. Thoroughly enjoyed it. It's my new go-to Book whenever I need a soothing rAtional voice in my head.

a thrilling peek under the hood

in Incognito, David Eagleman weaves together the scientific and existential with style and lucidity. If you're clueless about brains fear not, jargon is minimal and Eagleman has a gift for explaining complex topics with beauty and economy. If you know a little bit about brains already this is fascinating stuff. That said, this could be an important book for anyone interested in what it means to be, or at least feel like, a self. Even if you aren't into the scientific side, it's a worthwhile listen for Eagleman's hopeful and well reasoned take on criminal justice reform. Though he discusses the profound implications of modern neuroscience, Eagleman strikes a good balance between the philosophical and practical. Also, Eagleman's dramatic, enthusiastic narration is one of the best I've heard on Audible. I loved the moments where he discussed the evolutionary logic of neurobiology and my only complaint is that I would have liked more, but this reflects a personal bias more than any issue with the book.

I was with it up until the evo-psych came in.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Not really

Any additional comments?

The problem with evo-psych is its almost impossible to test in anyone older than a baby. Once socialization starts playing into things, the ability of us to extrapolate behavior from genetics is next to impossible isolate from socially accepted norms. Not to mention that this sort of data is frequently used as a shoring device to prop up internal narratives. People find X attractive because X is more desireable from an evolutionary standpoint, right? Well then, men apparently find shaven armpits more attractive because pre-pubescent women are uh... better at having kids... wait, that's not right...

It’s the matrix of books!!!

Neuroscience goes above my head but this guy paints you a picture so well that even I feel I can understand this. It gave me new insights on how to look at the world. Was very entertaining, will probably give it another listen to further solidify my new found ways of thinking.

Makes you think!!

Loved the book. It was simple enough to understand well yet added enough unforseen conclusions to keep one's attention held. It makes you consider a lot of variations to what you know and what you think you know.

Amazing!

Would you listen to Incognito again? Why?

I am definitely going to listen to this book a second time. It has completely changed how I view myself, others, and the world in which we live. I like that the author explains by providing examples, provides context, and most importantly, suggests applications and implications of neurology. I know nothing about this subject however I was able to follow the logic of his arguments. No small feat!

Which character – as performed by David Eagleman – was your favorite?

David Eagleman speaks clearly and slowly. While this may not be necessary for most books, I think in this case it proves effective.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The individual cases of real people hit home.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes a bit heavy on the metaphors, however this does make the material more accessible to the layperson, so I think listeners and readers should bear with it. The material is worth it.

Enthralling

This book is about how much our subconscious minds do and what a small part our conscious minds play in most of our daily tasks. David Eagleman is a neuroscientist so you're getting science straight from the source and he writes clearly and, at times elegantly. He also narrates the book and, I must say, I'd love to have him read more titles. He does a much better job than some of the non-author narrators I've listened to.

This is my first book about brain science but I do a LOT of "sci-nonfi" and I found it so compelling that I started it again as soon as I finished it; I can't say that about many other books I've listened to.

I think Eagleman separates the subconscious from the conscious a bit too profoundly--for instance he laughs at us for saying, "I just came up with this great idea!" (emphasis on the letter I) when he says it's the subconscious that's really worked out the problem. That may be so but is the subconscious not part of ME?? He says that one of the great roles of the conscious minds is in setting goals to which we dedicate our brains. Do I not deserve some of the credit for setting my subconscious to the task? Also, being a student of martial arts to some degree, I have seen a marked increase in my reflexive actions. That would fall under the subconscious control but I think my conscious mind deserves a bit of credit too. Regardless, it's a fun ride.

One of Eagleman's primary topics is our justice system and how we sentence wrong-doers. I found that somewhat less intriguing but perhaps it's more so to you.

Overall I would rank this quite high in the 20-30 science books I've listened to from Audible.

Familiar research but brand new ideas

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I've read a lot of bio psych books, so most of his research was familiar. What really impressed me about this book was the new ideas he made using this familiar research. Two ideas especially blew my mind:

1.) In chapter six, he proposes that because of what bio psych teaches us, our legal system would better serve us all if it concentrated on preventing future crimes rather than worrying about figuring out who's to blame. Blame is messy and nearly impossible to detach from biology not entirely under our control, but there is plenty of research to suggest that we might be able to have some influence on possible future crimes with the right kind of treatment. His idea about using bio feedback as a

Don't read if you're a control freak

Who knew? The frontal cortex as the big chief - running the show - in control - what you think you know about yourself and how you work is pretty well overturned by this book - neat stories and popular science combine to illuminate just how 'out of control' we really are on a minute-to-minute basis throughout our lives. Don't kid yourself you are the boss...you don't see the strings being pulled inside your own head...fascinating.