Incredibly clear on the strange mechanics of (un)consciousness and agency, and the ways the brain/mind creates our perception of reality.

Frith examines the current evidence of how our brain generates our mental image of ourselves and the world. He first explores how our brain creates an image of ourselves and the world that can have very little in common with reality. Then he describes the brain as a mind making machine, which gives us the power to understand ourselves and others.
Our brains use all signals possible to make models of the surrounding environment, which are constantly verified and improved upon. The same process is used by our brain to find out what’s happening in other people’s minds, to the extent that if somebody tells us about the experience our brain changes as if we ourselves had the experience in question. (It’s probably one of the reasons why many of us read books, isn’t it?). Our brain does not inform us about much it knows and it processes on a regular basis- it knows much more than it lets us know. It constantly adjusts and verifies the models of behavior, and makes us respond accordingly. What’s more, the idea that we make a decision based on our free will and then tell the brain what to do is a complete illusion. It’s the brain that makes the decision, and lets us know what we will do. In that respect there is no duality of the mind and the brain- it is one, and the feeling that we are something separate, an autonomous being, is just an illusion. There is a reason though for us to behave as if we were making deliberate choices according to Frith. He sees that reason in group behavior: punishing ‘free riders’ and rewarding fair behavior. That way we can reward those who behave fairly and punish those who don’t, and through this we maintain our willingness to live in a group and cooperate, which in turn makes us willing to build societies and cultures.

I found the book quite interesting and well written, and the author very well read in literary fiction as well, which is always a bonus.

Quotes that illustrate well what the book is about:

“But the ‘I’ that narrates this book and then vanishes on the final page is no different from the other ‘I’, Chris Frith, who wakes from nothing every morning at about 7 a.m. and vanishes again every night. I am not sure which of us is writing these final pages, but in both cases this ‘I’ is created by my brain.
Throughout this book I have adopted the convention of distinguishing between me and my brain. So when objects are perceived and actions are performed without thought or awareness, then I say my brain does it. But for conscious experience and conscious actions and decisions, then I say that ‘I’ do it. But I am not a dualist. This ‘I’ that deliberately does things is also created by my brain.”

‘We are embedded in the mental worlds of others just as we are embedded in the physical world. What we are currently doing and thinking is molded by whomever we are interacting with. But this is not how we experience ourselves. We experience ourselves as agents with minds of our own. This is the final illusion created by our brains.”

“By making models of the minds of others (in the same way that it makes models of the physical world), my brain enables me to enter a shared mental world. By sharing my mental world with others, I can also learn from their experiences and adopt the models of others that are better than my own. From this process, truth and progress can emerge, but so can deception and mass delusions.” ( )

This popular science book, written by one of the most prominent cognitive neuroscientists in the world, explores the current evidence of how our brains generate our mental image of ourselves and the world. He first outlines how our brains give us an image of ourselves and the world that can deviate frighteningly from reality. Sometimes this is simply because our heavily embedded ideas of our perceptions and beliefs are wrong, but sometimes problems arise due to brain damage. In the second second section, he centres on the brain as a prediction machine, which gives us the power to understand ourselves, our bodies and each other. The book is written extremely clearly, largely without the use of jargon, and although a tad dry in places, includes sufficiently exciting content to keep the reader engaged. Some attempts to make the book more popular worked well, such as occasional idiosyncratic and funny footer notes. I wished these would have taken a more prominent role, and he would have felt more at ease to make far more of these kinds of comments. However, Frith's imaginary conversations with a cynical and anti-scientific English professor feel more like an afterthought, and he could easily have made far more of the idea, had he wished. As a cognitive neuroscience researcher myself, I didn't really learn anything new, as Frith is largely reluctant to speculate on any ideas that haven't already been very firmly established, but I was nevertheless able to appreciate the coherence and intelligence of his explanations, which at times did allow me to view a well-trodden topic afresh. For a layperson, however, I can't think of a better introduction to the interface between the mind and brain than this book. ( )

Easy read about the latest in neuroscience and neuropsychology. Very clear explanations on perception, modelling minds, social intelligence, creating culture, and a diversion into games and economics to shed light on altruism.

Work on autism and schizophrenia provide insights on constructing a theory of mind, the ability to communicate and the sense of agency, that we are in control of our actions and choices.

Contrasting ideas about the mind are presented in a dialogue between "the author" and other characters which works very well and is very helpful to the lay reader. Chris Frith has a light and easy sense of humour.

Chris Frith has worked on neuroimaging and schizophrenia. V.S Ramachandran cites him as a pioneer in the field.

If you liked Oliver Sacks' books, you'll enjoy Making up the Mind : How the Brain Creates our Mental World by Chris Frith. ( )