The Idea of the Brain

An "elegant", "engrossing" (Carol Tavris, Wall Street Journal) examination of what we think we know about the brain and why—despite technological advances—the workings of our most essential organ remain a mystery. "I cannot recommend this book strongly enough."—Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm Shortlisted for the 2020 Baillie-Gifford Prize For thousands of years, thinkers and scientists have tried to understand what the brain does. Yet, despite the astonishing discoveries of science, we still have only the vaguest idea of how the brain works. In The Idea of the Brain, scientist and historian Matthew Cobb traces how our conception of the brain has evolved over the centuries. Although it might seem to be a story of ever-increasing knowledge of biology, Cobb shows how our ideas about the brain have been shaped by each era's most