Know Thyself
In Know Thyself, Stephen Fleming, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, posits that to know yourself—to have introspection, to have self-awareness, to think about what you think and do—is unique to the human experience. In understanding yourself, this “metacognition” can enable us to feel what others are thinking, too—which can be key in understanding people who disagree with...
On Repeat
On Repeat offers an in-depth inquiry into music's repetitive nature. Drawing on a diverse array of fields, it sheds light on a range of issues from repetition's use as a compositional tool to its role in characterizing our behavior as listeners, and considers related implications for repetition in language, learning, and communication.
The Case Against Reality
In The Case Against Reality, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues that what we perceive is not an accurate portrayal of objective reality; it is, instead, just our personal interface with the real world. This interface is the product of natural selection, and it evolved mostly to help us move through the world safely and usefully enough to pass our genes on...