The writings of Oliver Sacks and others have shown us that we can learn much about ourselves by looking closely at the deficits shown by people with neurological problems. V.S. Ramachandran has seen countless patients suffering from anosognosia, phantom limb pain, blindsight, and other disorders, and he brings a remarkable mixture of clinical intuition and research savvy to bear on their problems. He is one of the few scientists who are able and willing to explore the personal, subjective ramifications of his work; he rehumanizes an often too-sterile field and captures the spirit of wonder so essential for true discovery.
Phantoms in the Brain is equal parts medical mystery, scientific adventure, and philosophical speculation. Whether you’re curious about the workings of the brain, interested in alternatives to expensive, high-tech science (much of Ramachandran’s research is done with materials found around the home), or simply want a fresh perspective on the nature of human consciousness, you’ll find this to be an interesting documentary.
Yes, the ‘pain’ is not in the arm, but in the ‘brain’ – logically speaking, thats why he still THINKS he senses pain in his arm… neurons in the brain responsible for his left arm…nothing ‘mysterious’ here, especially coupled with the fact that he got used to having his hand there for…what? 30 years minimum?
A very interesting doc. I liked the part with the evolutionary biologist who filed the Bible in with all his books about lies & lying.
A very interesting doc. I liked the part with the evolutionary biologist who filed the Bible in with all his books about lies & lying.
A very interesting doc. I liked the part with the evolutionary biologist who filed the Bible in with all his books about lies & lying.
Is there a Phantom in my brain?
This morning, I’ve noticed a number of videos that say they are missing or blocked. Since I don’t see a feature to report that, I’m going to leave it in comments hopefully to benefit other users and / or site management.
The message I received on 2010-07-04:
“GUBA This file has been removed or it never existed!”
Please excuse my idiocy. I looked for it, and somehow still didn’t notice the button labeled “Report Broken Documentary”.