The Well | An evolutionary history of the human brain, in 7 minutes | Lisa Feldman Barrett @The-Well | Uploaded June 2023 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist.
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Plato famously described the human psyche as two horses and a charioteer: one horse represented instincts, the other represented emotions, and the charioteer was the rational mind that controlled them. Astronomer Carl Sagan continued this idea of a three-layer "triune brain" in his 1977 book The Dragons of Eden.
But leading neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges this idea of the brain evolving in three layers, instead revealing a common brain plan shared by all mammals and vertebrates. The development of sensory systems led to the emergence of the brain, and hunting and predation may have initiated an arms race to become more efficient and powerful predators.
Despite advances in neuroscience and genetics, the question of why the brain evolved remains elusive. But Feldman Barrett's fascinating exploration of the brain's evolution offers insights into the most important functions of this complex organ, and invites us to think more deeply about the origins of our own intelligence.
Read the full video transcript: the-evolution-of-the-human-brain
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❍ About The Well ❍
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.
So what do they think?
How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?
Let’s dive into The Well.
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Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist.
❍ Subscribe to The Well on YouTube: bit.ly/welcometothewell
❍ Up next: Finding the world’s next “hidden genius” | Albert-László Barabási youtube.com/watch?v=E1eo80fFblM
Plato famously described the human psyche as two horses and a charioteer: one horse represented instincts, the other represented emotions, and the charioteer was the rational mind that controlled them. Astronomer Carl Sagan continued this idea of a three-layer "triune brain" in his 1977 book The Dragons of Eden.
But leading neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges this idea of the brain evolving in three layers, instead revealing a common brain plan shared by all mammals and vertebrates. The development of sensory systems led to the emergence of the brain, and hunting and predation may have initiated an arms race to become more efficient and powerful predators.
Despite advances in neuroscience and genetics, the question of why the brain evolved remains elusive. But Feldman Barrett's fascinating exploration of the brain's evolution offers insights into the most important functions of this complex organ, and invites us to think more deeply about the origins of our own intelligence.
Read the full video transcript: the-evolution-of-the-human-brain
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
❍ About The Well ❍
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.
So what do they think?
How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?
Let’s dive into The Well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join The Well on your favorite platforms:
❍ Facebook: bit.ly/thewellFB
❍ Instagram: bit.ly/thewellIG
