Synopses & Reviews
In this elegantly written book, Jerome Kagan melds the history of the field of psychology during the past 50 years with the story of his own research efforts of the same period and an analysis of what he terms the currently rocky romance between psychology and biology.” As Kagan unwinds his own history, he reveals the seminal events that have shaped his career and discusses how his assumptions have changed. With full appreciation for the contributions to psychology of history, philosophy, literature, and neuroscience, he approaches a wide range of fascinating topics, including:
· the abandonment of orthodox forms of behaviorism and psychoanalysis
· the forces that inspired later-twentieth-century curiosity about young children
· why B. F. Skinner chose to study psychology
· why the study of science less often ignites imaginations today
· our societys obsession with erotic love
· the resurgence of religious fanaticism and the religious Right
Embedded in Kagans discussions is a rejection of the current notion that a mature neuroscience will eventually replace psychology. He argues that a complete understanding of brain is not synonymous with a full explanation of mind, and he concludes with a brief prediction of the next five decades in the field of psychology.
Review
"Jerome Kagan's book has more wisdom in it than any book I've read in the last few years, or maybe, more than any ever."—Robert J. Sternberg, Yale University, editor of
Why Smart People Can Be So StupidReview
"This wonderful book weaves into a single strand the intellectual trajectory of a remarkable psychologist and the trajectory of his discipline over the same half century. Jerome Kagan did as much as anyone to shape the direction of psychology over that span of time, and the field, in turn, helped shape Jerome Kagan in ways he recounts with his usual combination of grace, incisiveness, and wisdom. His is a rare and special mind."—Kai Erikson, Yale University
Review
"One of the great living psychologists today reflects back on a distinguished fifty year career probing many of psychologys most central and thorny questions. Jerome Kagan is a scholar of unusual breadth who brings to bear his appreciation of history and context to our understanding of the unique properties of the human mind. Kagans penetrating analysis of mind and brain is a must read for contemporary students of both psychology and neuroscience who often fail to appreciate the constraints imposed by context on the inferences that can be drawn from experimental findings."—Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Review
“Written with masterly clarity and accessibility, Kagans history of a young science and of his own contributions to it will inspire and enrich....”—
Publishers WeeklyReview
“Kagan is a master prose artisan. . . . Frankly, this book is quite amazing—James Joyce with logic and rigor, or perhaps a twenty-first century version of Montaigne. Reading this book is a rich learning experience for almost anyone.”—Jay Schulkin, Georgetown University
Synopsis
A revered psychologist invites us to re-examine our thinking about controversial contemporary issues, from the genetic basis for behaviors to the functions of education
Synopsis
In this thought-provoking book, psychologist Jerome Kagan urges readers to sally forth from their usual comfort zones. He ponders a series of important nodes of debate while challenging us to examine what we know and ask why we know it.
Kagan aims to reinvigorate interest in thought, feelings, and emotions as distinct from their biological and genetic bases. In separate chapters he deals with the meaning of words, kinds of knowing, the powerful influence of social class, the functions of education, emotion, morality, and other issues. And without fail he sheds light on these ideas while remaining honest to their complexity.
Thoughtful and eloquent, Kagan’s On Being Human places him firmly in the tradition of Renaissance essayist Michel de Montaigne, whose appealing blend of intellectual insight, personal storytelling, and careful judgment has attracted readers for centuries.
About the Author
Jerome Kagan is professor of psychology emeritus, Harvard University. He was director of the Mind/Brain/Behavior Interfaculty Initiative at Harvard and is the author of numerous books, including
Birth to Maturity, published by Yale University Press.
CITATION: "Jerome Kagan's book has more wisdom in it than any book I've read in the last few years, or maybe, more than any ever."-Robert J. Sternberg, Yale University, editor of Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid
(Robert C. Sternberg)
CITATION: "This wonderful book weaves into a single strand the intellectual trajectory of a remarkable psychologist and the trajectory of his discipline over the same half century. Jerome Kagan did as much as anyone to shape the direction of psychology over that span of time, and the field, in turn, helped shape Jerome Kagan in ways he recounts with his usual combination of grace, incisiveness, and wisdom. His is a rare and special mind."-Kai Erikson, Yale University
(Kai Erikson)
CITATION: "One of the great living psychologists today reflects back on a distinguished fifty year career probing many of psychology's most central and thorny questions. Jerome Kagan is a scholar of unusual breadth who brings to bear his appreciation of history and context to our understanding of the unique properties of the human mind. Kagan's penetrating analysis of mind and brain is a must read for contemporary students of both psychology and neuroscience who often fail to appreciate the constraints imposed by context on the inferences that can be drawn from experimental findings."-Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin, Madison
(Richard Davidson)