Jonah Lehrer


Proust Was a Neuroscientist (2007)Edit

  • The story of the brain's separation from the body begin with Rene Descartes. The most influential philosopher of the seventeenth century, Descartes divided being into two distinct substances: a holy soul and a mortal carcass. The soul was the source of reason, science, and everything nice. Our flesh, on the other hand, was "clock-like," just a machine that bleeds. With this schism, Descartes condemned the body to a life of subservience, a power plant for the brain's light bulbs.
    • Chapter 1, page 3

Chimeras of Experience: A Conversation with Jonah Lehrer (2009)Edit

Chimeras of Experience: A Conversation with Jonah Lehrer, (May 21, 2009)

Lehrer interview on Colbert Report (2009)Edit

Lehrer: Humans love being certain, humans tend to filter the world to confirm what we already believe, and that's a big problem.
Colbert: Very comforting.
Lehrer: It is very comforting, and not being certain can be very troubling. So, that's why conservatives watch Fox News and liberals watch MSNBC, because it's nice to have your preconceived notions confirmed... And so it's very important to be aware of those flaws so then you can take steps to counteract them to adjust your decision-making style to the task at hand.
Lehrer: Pure reasoning can be a dangerous thing.
Colbert: What about Spock?

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