Livewired: Brandt Anthony - Eagleman David - Softcover

The unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius -- GEOFF DYER * * Observer * * Mind-blowing revelations abound * * Financial Times * * Entertaining and profound: page-turning neuroscience from a bit of a genius * * Guardian * * A lively exploration of the software our brains run in search of the motherlode of invention . . . Beautifully produced, illustrated and written. [The Runaway Species] sweeps the reader through examples from engineering, science, product design, music and the visual arts to trace the roots of creative thinking * * Nature * * A shining example of lucid and easy-to-grasp science writing * * Independent * * A fun read by a smart person for smart people . . . It will attract a new generation to ponder their inner workings * * New Scientist * * Popular science at its best * * Boston Globe * * Appealing and persuasive * * Wall Street Journal * * A beautifully illustrated deep dive into human creativity . . . This is a must-read for anyone with curiosity about the workings of the human mind * * Wired * * David Eagleman is a brilliant neuroscientist, a bestselling author and a man of enormous discernment * * The Sunday Times * * Essential and timely . . . a smart, captivating book that will give you a prefrontal workout * * Nature * * The posterboy of neuroscience with ideas that will stretch your mind * * Observer * * The rock star of neuroscience * * Telegraph * * Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness * * New Yorker * * David Eagleman may be the best combination of scientist and fiction-writer alive -- STEWART BRAND David Eagleman is the kind of guy who really does make being a neuroscientist look like fun * * New York Times * * Approaches creativity scientifically but sensitively, feeling its roots without pulling them out * * Economist * * Eagleman provides an excellent overview of the workings of our most vital organ * * Sunday Times * * Bringing a storyteller's articulate and fluid narrative to a scientist's quest, Eagleman dances across an incredible spectrum of issues * * Brainpickings * *

Our relentless drive to create makes us unique among living creatures. What is special about the human brain that enables us to innovate? Why don't cows choreograph dances? Why don't squirrels build elevators to their treetops? Why don't alligators invent speedboats? Weaving together the arts and sciences, neuroscientist David Eagleman and composer Anthony Brandt explore the need for novelty, the simulation of possible futures, and the social components that drive the inventiveness of our species. Taking us on a tour of human creativity from Picasso to concept cars to umbrellas to lunar travel, Brandt and Eagleman explore the cognitive software that generates new ideas, and illuminate the key facets of a creative mentality. Through understanding our ability to innovate - our most profound, mysterious, and deeply human capacity - we can meet the challenge of remaking our constantly shifting world.