Consciousness: Confessions of
a Romantic Reductionist
Christof Koch
There’s a famous quip circulated
among writers: The craft is easy. You
just sit down at your desk and open a
vein. In his latest book, Koch does one
better. He pries off his skull, splits open
his brain and invites the reader in.
What’s inside is fascinating. Through
scenes from his life as a wandering
child, an ambitious young researcher
and an erudite professor, Koch
describes his compulsion to discover
the roots of consciousness.
The book is a testament to the power
of the subjective. Koch lays bare his most
profound losses, confronts his mortality and describes his wildest ideas all in
the confessional style of St. Augustine.
One of his chief confessions: At heart,
Koch is a romantic who sees a world
brimming with meaning. This deeply
philosophical view anchors the book,
which includes quotes from Haruki
Murakami, Oscar Wilde and Dante.
Also near Koch’s heart, though, is the
seemingly contrary scientific desire to
The Science of Sin
Simon M. Laham
Contrary to popular belief, experienc-
ing anger may make a person more
optimistic and more likely to change
long-held opinions. Swelling with pride
can increase agreeability, while grow-
ing lusty could make a person more
attentive, more creative and even more
charitable, suggests
Laham in this prom-
ising debut.
With a provoca-
tive wit (in the first
chapter he encour-
ages readers to grab
a bra so that they can
experience a study
firsthand), Laham, an experimental
psychologist, reveals how indulging in
the seven deadly sins can be advanta-
geous. After briefly explaining the
history of the deadlies — Pope Gregory
the Great, elaborating on the work of
untangle the incredibly complex questions of consciousness — what it is, who
has it and why. In his wide-ranging discussion of the latest brain science, Koch
points out examples of experiments that
provide some clues. His crisp descriptions of science capture the essence
without a trace of puffed-up jargon.
Along the way, Koch discusses
free will (which he
calls a “scholarly
minefield” before
charging straight in);
animal conscious-
ness (he no longer
eats mammals or
birds); and how
religion fits into his
view of the universe (he has gradually
lost his Catholic faith).
Koch weaves a vivid and poignant
story, punctuated by fascinating characters and compelling science. The
book will leave you with a small piece
of Koch’s own consciousness, plucked
from his head and delivered into yours.
— Laura Sanders
MIT Press, 2012, 184 p., $24.95
monks, popularized them in the sixth
century — Laham explores recent
research into the “fascinating complexity” of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger,
envy and pride and their effects on the
human psyche.
In his chapter on envy, Laham
describes an experiment in which participants, some of whom read a brief
description of an extremely successful peer, were asked to imagine novel
uses for a brick. “The envious, upwardly
comparing participants were more creative, thinking of more things to do with
a brick than the controls,” he writes.
Laham’s favorite use for the brick: as
a mock coffin at a Barbie funeral.
As he discusses psychological studies,
Laham provides expert analysis without bombarding readers with technical
terms. It’s a fun, rapid read, but also a
probing look at an engrossing field of
scientific inquiry. — Nick Bascom
The Best Writing on
Mathematics 2011
Mircea Pitici, ed.
This anthology offers
an overview of stories
written for a popular
audience about the
mysteries and everyday uses of math.
Princeton Univ., 2012, 414 p., $19.95
DDT and the
American Century
David Kinkela
Science and politics
collide in this history
of one of the world’s
most controversial
pesticides. Univ. of North Carolina,
2011, 272 p., $39.95
African American
Women Chemists
Jeannette Brown
A chemist sketches
the lives of women
who broke racial
boundaries, including
Marie Maynard Daly, the first black
woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemis-
try in 1947. Oxford Univ., 2012,
272 p., $35
Riddle of the
Feathered Dragons
Alan Feduccia
An evolutionary biolo-
gist reviews fossil
evidence for bird and
dinosaur evolution and contests the
view that birds are the last living dino-
saurs. Yale Univ., 2012, 358 p., $55
Eradication
Nancy Leys Stepan
Attempts to wipe out
diseases such as
malaria come with a
cost, this history of
eradication campaigns shows.
Cornell Univ., 2011, 309 p., $39.95
How to Order To order these books or others,
visit www.sciencenews.org/bookshelf. A click on
a book’s title will transfer you to Amazon.com.
