Description
Book SynopsisWhy are we so often in conflictarguing with ourselves and with others, uncertain over who we are what we need from our lives?In The Animal and the Idea, the world-leading, pioneering neuroscientist John Duncan explains that each of us is not just one person we are two. On one side are our animal instincts, built on the sophisticated needs of human life through evolution, but struggling to navigate the complexity of modern life. On the other side is our rational brain which calculates and cogitates, but is often helpless in the face of bigger questions of meaning and purpose. Dovetailing these two competing sides of ourselves, Duncan draws on a lifetime's pioneering work to attack puzzles that have concerned thinkers, writers and philosophers through human history. Right and wrong. Freedom and responsibility. Women and men. Democracy and justice. Ambition and fulfilment. Understanding how these two sides of ourselves interact offers revealing and often surprising answers to some
