Descartes' Error

Descartes’ Error (1995) turns conventional wisdom about the human mind on its head. Combining sophisticated neuroscience with fascinating case studies about patients with brain damage, it shows how the traditional dualisms of Western thought do not stand up to scrutiny. Reason depends on emotion, and the brain is intimately connected with the body.

Who should read

Rationalists skeptical of emotions Emotional people sick of being called irrational Anyone interested in the intersections between neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy

About the author

Antonio Damasio is a professor of psychology, philosophy, and neurology at the University of Southern California, where he is also the Director of the Brain and Creativity Institute and holds the David Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience. His previous books include The Feeling of What Happens, Looking for Spinoza, Self Comes to Mind, and The Strange Order of Things, all of which have been critically acclaimed and taught at universities around the world. He has been the recipient of the Grawemeyer Award, the Asturias Prize in Science and Technology, and the Signoret Prize, among many other distinctions.