This is a book about what makes us
who we are and defines our identity, our personality, our essence, from a
neurological point of view, namely by the evolution of frontal lobes in
humans.  This book is intended to, in
author’s own words, "help put ‘personality’ and related expressions of the
mind where they belong, inside the brain, so to speak by the eyes of the
general public" (p. 156). Even though it was written with a general
audience in mind, it is also of interest to professional audience as well.  Abilities such as awareness of oneself and
of others, drive, vision, imagination, ethical and social behavior, motivation
and decision making which are mainly cited as the main characteristics of being
a person have long been associated with carrying a soul separated from the
brain or the body in the philosophical literature.  But, Goldberg clearly shows by citing experimental results
obtained from both pathological and normal conditions, and by fascinating case
histories and anecdotes that as the seat of intentionality, foresight and
planning, the frontal lobes are the most uniquely "human" of all
components of the brain.  Frontal lobes
control what he calls executive functions of the brain just as a commander in
chief to an army, a conductor to an orchestra or a chief executive to a
corporation.  So, he defines a person
with a frontal lobe damage as being "a head without the czar inside"
(s. 23).

He begins the book by a personal
vignette about his leaving Russia for the USA as an example of executive
functions of prefrontal cortex as he formed the goal of leaving Russia,
considered different alternatives, decided upon one of these alternatives,
devised and implemented a plan and then evaluated his action of leaving Russia
as a success.  Rest of the book is
shaped around two major themes one of which is about cerebral organization and
the other is about hemispheric specialization. He argues that, contrary to the
earlier notion of hemispheric specialization that the right hemisphere is
minor, and the frontal lobes are silent, each cerebral hemisphere is involved
in all the cognitive processes but their relative degree of involvement varies
according to novelty-familiarity principle. 
He considers hemispheric specialization as being two parallel variations
on the same basic theme, namely, the roles of the two hemispheres in cognition
are dynamic, relative and individualized. By drawing upon experimental findings
he sets out to show that the special role played by the frontal lobes and the
right hemisphere in dealing with novelty and by the left hemisphere
implementing routines suggest that dynamic changes associated with learning are
at least twofold. With learning the focus of cognitive control shifts from the
right hemisphere to the left hemisphere, and from the frontal lobes to the
posterior parts of the brain. By noting the fact that the role of learning and
learned behaviors increases throughout evolution, at the relative expense of
instinctive behaviors, Goldberg asks whether it is possible that the existence
of two different, separate but interconnected systems, one for novelty and the
other one for routines, facilitates learning.

"The transition from novelty
to routinization" he writes, "is the universal cycle of our inner
world" (p.52), and this leads to the second major theme of the book.  He introduces a new approach to explain the
organization of neocortex with the gradiental, continuous principle which he calls
gradiental theory as opposed to the old notion of modularity. By using the
pathological cases of "associative agnosias" he aims to show that the
mental representation of a thing is not modular, but rather distributed since
its different sensory components are represented in different parts of the
brain

under the executive control of frontal lobes. Goldberg
argues that modularity is an archaic principle of cerebral organization and
there has been a shift in the "balance of power" and the way
information is processed with the evolution of neocortex. The ancient
subcortical structures, once in the charge of certain functions independently,
now found themselves subordinated to the noecortex, and assumed supporting
functions in the shadow of the new level of neural organization with far
greater computational powers and complexity than before the arrival of the
neocortex.

By drawing upon some fascinating
case stories frontal lobe damage including famous Phineas Cage and some
experimental studies conducted mostly in his laboratory, Goldberg attempts to show
that the frontal lobes, as the latest achievement in the evolution of the
nervous system are the carriers of intentionality of the individual which is
crucial for higher consciousness, for judgment, for imagination, for empathy,
for identity, for "soul". 
Clearly the ability to form an internal representation of a different
person’s mind is linked to another fundamental ability: the concept of mental
self and mental self-nonself differentiation which he clearly shows rests in
prefrontal cortex.

Philosophically, a person can be
hold morally responsible for one’s actions only when these actions are presumed
to be under the individual volitional control. Therefore, it is Goldberg’s hope
that "the book will help correct the unintended public insensitivity, and
sometimes outright cruelty, towards the most devastating of all forms of brain
damage, the damage to the frontal lobes" (p. 156).

Goldberg tackles some very
complicated issues in such an imaginative and lively fashion that makes the
book very enjoyable, yet at the same time very informative.  It helps us understand and reconsider some
obstacles and miscommunications in our lives and makes us wonder what kind of
persons we are.  But, far the most
inspiring part of this book is the cognitive exercise program to help enhance
the functions of the brain which he offers at the end of the book, so that we
can have a hope to prolong the time before the onset of symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer disease.

©
2003 Kamuran Godelek

Kamuran Godelek, PhD, Mersin
University, Department of Philosophy, Mersin, TURKEY

Categories: Psychology