LEADER 04494nam 2200877Ia 450 001 9910961471003321 005 20240912154722.0 010 $a9786612936166 010 $a9786612457999 010 $a9781400834617 010 $a1400834619 010 $a9781282936164 010 $a1282936166 010 $a9781282457997 010 $a1282457993 024 7 $a10.1515/9781400834617 035 $a(CKB)2520000000007007 035 $a(EBL)483592 035 $a(OCoLC)703583042 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000457118 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11319213 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000457118 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10429422 035 $a(PQKB)11548992 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000632820 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)12250468 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000632820 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10611063 035 $a(PQKB)23346916 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse36706 035 $a(DE-B1597)446906 035 $a(OCoLC)979593107 035 $a(DE-B1597)9781400834617 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL483592 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10367846 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL293616 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL4968617 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL245799 035 $a(OCoLC)1027152759 035 $a(PPN)170258548 035 $a(Perlego)734824 035 $a(FR-PaCSA)45003647 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC483592 035 $a(FRCYB45003647)45003647 035 $a(EXLCZ)992520000000007007 100 $a20090622d2010 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 14$aThe brain and the meaning of life /$fPaul Thagard 205 $aCourse Book 210 $aPrinceton, NJ $cPrinceton University Press$d2010 215 $a1 online resource (293 p.) 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 08$a9780691154404 311 08$a0691154406 311 08$a9780691142722 311 08$a0691142726 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $tFrontmatter -- $tContents -- $tPreface -- $tAcknowledgments -- $tChapter One. We All Need Wisdom -- $tChapter Two. Evidence Beats Faith -- $tChapter Three. Minds are Brains -- $tChapter Four. How Brains Know Reality -- $tChapter Five. How Brains Feel Emotions -- $tChapter Six. How Brains Decide -- $tChapter Seven. Why Life Is Worth Living -- $tChapter Eight. Needs and Hopes -- $tChapter Nine. Ethical Brains -- $tChapter Ten. Making Sense Of It All -- $tNotes -- $tGlossary -- $tReferences -- $tIndex 330 $aWhy is life worth living? What makes actions right or wrong? What is reality and how do we know it? The Brain and the Meaning of Life draws on research in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience to answer some of the most pressing questions about life's nature and value. Paul Thagard argues that evidence requires the abandonment of many traditional ideas about the soul, free will, and immortality, and shows how brain science matters for fundamental issues about reality, morality, and the meaning of life. The ongoing Brain Revolution reveals how love, work, and play provide good reasons for living. Defending the superiority of evidence-based reasoning over religious faith and philosophical thought experiments, Thagard argues that minds are brains and that reality is what science can discover. Brains come to know reality through a combination of perception and reasoning. Just as important, our brains evaluate aspects of reality through emotions that can produce both good and bad decisions. Our cognitive and emotional abilities allow us to understand reality, decide effectively, act morally, and pursue the vital needs of love, work, and play. Wisdom consists of knowing what matters, why it matters, and how to achieve it. The Brain and the Meaning of Life shows how brain science helps to answer questions about the nature of mind and reality, while alleviating anxiety about the difficulty of life in a vast universe. The book integrates decades of multidisciplinary research, but its clear explanations and humor make it accessible to the general reader. 606 $aLife 606 $aCognitive science 615 0$aLife. 615 0$aCognitive science. 676 $a128 700 $aThagard$b Paul$027854 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910961471003321 996 $aThe brain and the meaning of life$94336181 997 $aUNINA