As you read this, at some level you’re aware that you’re reading, thanks to a standard human feature commonly referred to as consciousness. What is it–a spiritual phenomenon, an evolutionary tool, a neurological side effect? The best scientists love to tackle big, meaningful questions like this, and neuroscientist Antonio Damasio jumps right in with The Feeling of What Happens, a poetic examination of interior life through lenses of research, medical cases, philosophical analysis, and unashamed introspection. Damasio’s perspective is, fortunately, becoming increasingly common in the scientific community; despite all the protestations of old-guard behaviorists, subjective consciousness is a plain fact to most of us and the demand for new methods of inquiry is finally being met.
These new methods are not without rigor, though. Damasio and his colleagues examine patients with disruptions and interruptions in consciousness and take deep insights from these tragic lives while offering greater comfort and meaning to the sufferers. His thesis, that our sense of self arises from our need to map relations between self and others, is firmly rooted in medical and evolutionary research but stands up well to self-examination. His examples from the weird world of neurology are unsettling yet deeply humanizing–real people with serious problems spring to life in the pages, but they are never reduced to their deficits. The Feeling of What Happens captures the spirit of discovery as it plunges deeper than ever into the darkest waters yet. –Rob Lightner
Customer Reviews
An engaging discussion of consciousness:
I found this book to be an engaging exploration of consciousness and the different parameters that define consciousness. The author spends a lot of time explaining how consciousness is defined in relationship to the relationship the person has to the world, but also in regard to biological systems, linguistics, etc. He also does an excellent job of distinguishing where emotions fit into consciousness.
On the other hand, his writing style is dense and sometimes hard to get through. I had to carefully reread some of his writing to really get the ideas he was trying to explain…so be prepared to do some slogging.
The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness:
This book is a must read for serious counseling professionals.The orchestra of feeling , emotion and thought that are part of our biological music is exciting to read and think about.
the amazing world of the subconscious:
I was inspired to read and study this book after listening to an NPR documentary called “Where am I?”. This book is not an easy read for those not having a background in biology or neurology, but is very rewardable. I don’t have a formal education in biology or neurology, but have studied subjects in this area from reading various books, watching documentaries and reading articles.
This book really solidifies my understanding of emotion and reinforces what I’ve learned from reading Pert’s book “Molecules of Emotion” and from the film “What the Bleep do We Know?”. Damasio’s main reason for writing this book was to explore the problem of consciousness which involves two questions:
-How are images (objects) in the brain generated?
-How do our brains sense that we are the owners and observers for these objects?
These are not trivial questions and the author makes it clear in many places in the book that what he is explaining are his ideas and are not widely accepted in the scientific community.
In reading Damasio’s book, I focused on what was of interest to me and how the information can help me rather than focusing on whether or not what he is saying has scientific validity. I was fascinated by the notion that our brains are our body’s captive audience or emotion is a slave to our bodies. So many people talk of having a “gut instinct” or “following your gut” but few know or even care to understand where this comes from. After reading this book, I know that certain parts of the brain such as the amygdala are activated upon thinking about or seeing an object. When this happens, a whole cascade of reactions in the body takes place which includes but is not limited to a reaction in the gut. All of this often takes place without us being consciously aware of what triggered the reaction. The emotions that we are conscious of comes from the perception of these changes in our bodies. This for me really underscores the importance of listening to your body. When you feel your heart racing, your palms sweating, butterflies in your stomach, etc. you should ask yourself why am I feeling this way? What triggered these physical changes? The more we do this, the more we learn about ourselves and make better decisions.
genius:
if you are interested in understanding the mind, brain or sciences, you must read this book. it’s pivotal to our understanding of consciousness and mind. deeply insightful and inspiring. opens new grounds for investivation, research and understanding.
i must say though- that i read this book in summer 2003 and the impression left was powerful. one of the greatest brain books.
Don’t Bother:
Dr. Damasio attempts to write an interesting book, however, don’t get fooled by its title which can be enticing. The best part of his book is the Appendix in that he gives a brief introduction to brain anatomy. He also gives a good explanation on the neurophysiology of emotions, yet, his writing style is extremely verbose. It takes him 4 lines to write a complete sentence which can be condensed to one line. The material is redundant and can be condensed to half its size. I lost interest quickly and will not purchase his other works.
