The Face in the Mirror: The Search for the Origins of Consciousness

by Julian Paul Keenan, Gordon G. Gallup Jr., Dean Falk

How do we know who we are? When and how did we become aware of our presence and thoughts? Why do some species develop self-awareness, while others do not?

This question of self-awareness and consciousness has puzzled philosophers and scientists alike, from Aristotle and Darwin to Descartes and William James. In his famous "mirror test" thirty years ago, leading researcher Gordon G. Gallup Jr. showed that self-awareness begins with the recognition of one’s reflection in the mirror, an ability that only higher order primates possess. In The Face in the Mirror, Julian Paul Keenan, Gordon G. Gallup Jr., and Dean Falk further explore mirror recognition as the key to understanding the origins of consciousness and its role in our evolution, everyday behavior, and ongoing survival.

For the past decade, Julian Paul Keenan and his colleagues have been closing in on the source of self-awareness in the brain. With the advent of MRI technology and other techniques, they have examined the hypothesis that there is a brain network specifically involved in self-recognition. This book shows how the right hemisphere of the brain (where mirror recognition takes place), often relegated to "supporting role" status, may be a more crucial determinant of higher order consciousness. Keenan also shows how recognizing our reflection -- an ability we take for granted -- is linked to such common self-related functions as memory and to emotions like empathy, narcissism, and deception, which play a crucial role in evolution.

Insightful, witty, and accessible, The Face in the Mirror plunges the reader into the forefront of thedebate on consciousness in humans and primates. From animals who share our ability for self-recognition, to the development of self-awareness in children, to case studies of patients who no longer recognize who they are, Keenan examines some of the latest evidence in the fields of neurology, psychology, and anthropology and suggests remarkable and surprising results about the function of self-awareness in humans and other primates.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Neuroscience

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Nick H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though my interest of late with consciousness has tended towards the philosophical side, it was good to get a dose of the scientific research aspect. This is a very exhaustive look at what portion(s) of the brain contain (or are responsible for) consciousness/self. A bit dry at times, spouting off a lot of extensive research by other neurologists, the most interesting of which examines the ability of humans and apes to see their own reflection in the mirror and comprehend that it is one's self. More of a companion for writing a college paper than it is a pleasure read, it utilizes 250 pages to state that consciousness and self most likely originate in the right hemisphere of the brain, dispelling the long held belief that the left hemisphere was the most important for cognitive abilities. If that sounds like your kind of thing, give this a read.

[Julian P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subtitle of the version of this book that I read was "The Origin of Consciousness," but this book is concerned with trying to locate where in the brain the "self", or self-awareness is. I thought this book would at least touch on how consciousness developed in primates however many million years ago, but instead it just describes study after experiment after inquiry into, for example, which hemisphere of the brain does what. I was therefore disappointed in this book, but I also think that by its own lights it is repetitive and hard to read. This author is nowhere near as clever or entertaining a writer as he apparently thinks he is!

[Libyrinths · Rating 3 out of 5]

The edition I read was hardcover, but that choice wasn't available to enter here.

Not a scintillating book, but very clearly and logically written for the non-specialist. Keenan is trying to find correlates for consciousness, or self-awareness as he prefers to call it, which can be tested and ultimately localized in the brain. One tool used to determine whether self-awareness exists is the ability to self-recognize in a mirror.

Keenan spends almost half the book showing how and why the mirror test works, but suffice it to say that he addresses all potential objections with his clear and logically presented reporting of experimental evidence. He suggests that one has to have a cognitive model of oneself inside one's head in order to recognize oneself in the mirror. Besides humans, experiments have shown that chimps and orangutans self-recognize, but gorillas don't seem to. Monkeys don't either. There is some hint that dolphins might, but it's been hard to design adequate and convincing tests for dolphins so far.

All the various experimental results show that self-awareness seems to be predominantly found in the right hemisphere of the brain. Many brain areas seem involved, but the findings show that left hemisphere verbal abilities don't seem to be the root of self-awareness, as some have thought.

This is a book for those who want a simply but logically-presented overview of the experimental work on self-awareness, and what it has shown so far.

[Lisa Ambrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

JPK...one of my bestest friends at the university...I promise I'll get to this! All of our colleagues love it, btw.

[Loyd Mbabu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book. The middle third was a bit slow going but the overall lessens learned were enormous.