Did you see something in this comment that didn't meet our terms and conditions? If so, thanks for letting us know. If you inadvertently reached this page, you can use your browsers "back" button to get back on track.
Keep in mind that this form is intended only for reporting comments that violate our terms and conditions. Your report will not be published on the website and will not be sent to the comment author.
You are reporting a comment on the following title:
This is an absolutely fascinating book about how neurologists have discovered in the past thirty years or so that the human brain is much, much more resilient and plastic than it was believed to be for a long time. Neurologists used to think that everyone's brain map was basically the same, with functions like sight or hearing in pretty much the same place, and that if those sections of the brain were damaged, then the function they controlled would be permanently impaired. This didn't explain, however, people who were born with sections of their brain missing, yet still were able to live normal or almost normal lives, nor did it explain why some people who suffered strokes were able to regain skills that should have been lost forever. Doige profiles some of the most innovative neurologists in the field, and discusses case histories of individuals who exemplify the brain's plasticity.
There was only one section of the book where I felt Doige was dodging some issues. In the chapter on sexuality, he discusses the role that neuroplasticity might feature in the case of fetishes or addiction to pornography. He stops short, however, of the risky topic of what neuroplasticity might mean in the case of sexual orientation. I understand that this is a controversial topic and that he (and other researchers) might want to avoid it, but it struck me as rather disengenuous to gloss over it completely.
Terms and Conditions
We welcome your comments and ideas, but we ask that you refrain from:
Obscenity
Spam
Illegal content
Copyrighted material
Commercial solicitations
By posting your comments you are granting the good people of Powells.com the right
(but not the obligation) to make your comments available to others over the
Internet, and to copy and distribute your comments via other media, in each case
on a royalty free basis. These terms govern the rights and obligations of the
person posting comments and Powells.com; there are no intended third party
beneficiaries of these terms.
Posted comments are subject to monitoring, editing, and removal at any time.
Please see our Terms of Use for our complete terms and conditions.
You are reporting a comment on the following title:
You are reporting the following comment:
crowyhead, March 1, 2008
This is an absolutely fascinating book about how neurologists have discovered in the past thirty years or so that the human brain is much, much more resilient and plastic than it was believed to be for a long time. Neurologists used to think that everyone's brain map was basically the same, with functions like sight or hearing in pretty much the same place, and that if those sections of the brain were damaged, then the function they controlled would be permanently impaired. This didn't explain, however, people who were born with sections of their brain missing, yet still were able to live normal or almost normal lives, nor did it explain why some people who suffered strokes were able to regain skills that should have been lost forever. Doige profiles some of the most innovative neurologists in the field, and discusses case histories of individuals who exemplify the brain's plasticity.There was only one section of the book where I felt Doige was dodging some issues. In the chapter on sexuality, he discusses the role that neuroplasticity might feature in the case of fetishes or addiction to pornography. He stops short, however, of the risky topic of what neuroplasticity might mean in the case of sexual orientation. I understand that this is a controversial topic and that he (and other researchers) might want to avoid it, but it struck me as rather disengenuous to gloss over it completely.
Terms and Conditions
We welcome your comments and ideas, but we ask that you refrain from:- Obscenity
- Spam
- Illegal content
- Copyrighted material
- Commercial solicitations
By posting your comments you are granting the good people of Powells.com the right (but not the obligation) to make your comments available to others over the Internet, and to copy and distribute your comments via other media, in each case on a royalty free basis. These terms govern the rights and obligations of the person posting comments and Powells.com; there are no intended third party beneficiaries of these terms. Posted comments are subject to monitoring, editing, and removal at any time. Please see our Terms of Use for our complete terms and conditions.Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
In accordance with The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, you must be at least 13 to submit comments on Powells.com.