How the Unconscious Designs Me: The Inner Dictator That Can Both Save and Ruin Me

Author David Eagleman · Publisher RHK · Publication Date 2024-11-22 · ISBN 9788925574394

About the Book

"Inside all of us, there's someone I don't know!"
A secret exploration of the brain, swimming in the depths of the unconscious.

Surprisingly, our actions, thoughts, and feelings are not under our conscious control. The 'conscious self' that wakes up in the morning is only a tiny fraction of what goes on in the brain. The brain puts on its own show and runs its own programs. 'I' have no access rights. Based on this fact, Eagleman, with various examples, explains how our actions and thoughts are governed by unconscious brain activity – that is, how the unconscious designs us. From Freud to the future direction of today's legal system, this book traverses various disciplines such as brain science, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and biology, posing questions to all those who contemplate human existence and self-understanding.

If the brain changes, my essence changes too.

A notable part of this book is Chapter 6, which discusses free will and the legal system. Many criminals, after committing heinous acts, often offer excuses such as 'I don't remember,' 'I had mental problems,' or 'I was drunk.' People are further enraged by these facts, but is there anyone who can be completely free from this? Why did Charles Whitman, an ordinary office worker, become the perpetrator of one of history's worst mass shootings? After Whitman's death, an autopsy of his brain revealed a tumor that was pressing on his amygdala, which regulates emotions such as fear and aggression. Through this case, Eagleman demonstrates that behavior can be influenced by the physical state of the brain, meaning that judging crimes merely as a matter of 'free will' cannot lead to proper legal judgment. This is not to say that everything is the brain's fault and individuals should not be punished. Eagleman argues that it is necessary to build a forward-looking, fundamental system that focuses more on rehabilitation and treatment, along with punishment, by assessing the potential for correction. Eagleman's argument, emphasizing the progressive and positive role of neuroscience in the legal system, once again chastises our society, which has various rehabilitation systems such as correctional facilities but still suffers from high recidivism rates.

The Brain, a perplexing masterpiece that sculpts our inner self.

Throughout this book, Eagleman demonstrates that the true master controlling our minds is separate, and consciousness merely assists in its decisions. Consciousness has slow or no access to the system inside the skull. Our perception of the world does not necessarily align with reality; that is, vision is merely an illusion constructed by the brain. Brain tissue, to which we have no direct access, creates thoughts, and once useful routines are imprinted in the brain's circuitry, consciousness can no longer access them. He also explains that our minds are not singular but composed of multiple parts, and what we call 'self' is the result of rival teams collaborating and competing. Thus, within us, reason and impulse constantly clash, and we make absurd negotiations with ourselves ("It's the weekend, so I should eat something delicious!").

If all human thought, mind, and action are the work of the unconscious, then the question remains: what should 'we, who have been dethroned' do? Eagleman sees new possibilities here. Just as Galileo's discovery that we are not the center of the universe revealed a grander world, losing the self-centered belief that we can do everything will be replaced by the wonder and awe that the brain unfolds. "A perplexing masterpiece that sculpts our inner life" – this is Eagleman's perspective on the unconscious brain.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: There's Someone in My Head, But It's Not Me
Chapter 2: The Testimony of the Senses: What Is Experience Really Like?
Chapter 3: What the Unconscious Does
Chapter 4: The Thoughts We Are Capable Of
Chapter 5: The Brain as a Team of Rivals
Chapter 6: Why Asking About Responsibility for Wrongdoing Is the Wrong Question
Chapter 7: Life After the Throne

Acknowledgments ｜ Notes ｜ Index