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Czego oczy nie widzą. Jak wzrok kształtuje nasze myśli
Z tej książki dowiesz się:
Czego komputery mogłyby nauczyć się od ptaków?
Czy świat, który widzimy, istnieje naprawdę?
Dlaczego w ciągu milisekundy jesteśmy w stanie rozpoznać w tłumie znajomą twarz?
Czy świat widzimy oczami, czy mózgiem?
Mózg wydaje się najbardziej skomplikowaną strukturą na świecie. Od stuleci ludzie próbują go poznać, zdefiniować, odkryć mechanizmy jego działania. Richard Masland postanowił przyjrzeć mu się pod kątem zmysłu wzroku. I już we wstępie pisze: „świat, który widzicie, wcale nie jest identyczny z tym, który nas otacza!”.
Na pierwszy rzut oka mogłoby się wydawać, że proces widzenia nie jest niczym skomplikowanym. Bodziec wpada do oka, do siatkówki, i uruchamia mózg, a ten przetwarza to na obraz, który widzimy w głowie. Prawda wygląda jednak zupełnie inaczej. Percepcja, sieci neuronowe, przesyłanie informacji pomiędzy poszczególnymi neuronami, różnice między zmysłami wzroku, dotyku, słuchu – to wszystko składa się na fascynującą podróż w głąb ludzkiego umysłu. Przekonaj się, czego oczy nie widzą!
Książki dobre nie tylko w teorii!
Czego komputery mogłyby nauczyć się od ptaków?
Czy świat, który widzimy, istnieje naprawdę?
Dlaczego w ciągu milisekundy jesteśmy w stanie rozpoznać w tłumie znajomą twarz?
Czy świat widzimy oczami, czy mózgiem?
Mózg wydaje się najbardziej skomplikowaną strukturą na świecie. Od stuleci ludzie próbują go poznać, zdefiniować, odkryć mechanizmy jego działania. Richard Masland postanowił przyjrzeć mu się pod kątem zmysłu wzroku. I już we wstępie pisze: „świat, który widzicie, wcale nie jest identyczny z tym, który nas otacza!”.
Na pierwszy rzut oka mogłoby się wydawać, że proces widzenia nie jest niczym skomplikowanym. Bodziec wpada do oka, do siatkówki, i uruchamia mózg, a ten przetwarza to na obraz, który widzimy w głowie. Prawda wygląda jednak zupełnie inaczej. Percepcja, sieci neuronowe, przesyłanie informacji pomiędzy poszczególnymi neuronami, różnice między zmysłami wzroku, dotyku, słuchu – to wszystko składa się na fascynującą podróż w głąb ludzkiego umysłu. Przekonaj się, czego oczy nie widzą!
Książki dobre nie tylko w teorii!
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2020
65 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 22, 2020
One might think that the clinical study of neuroscience would be akin to watching paint dry, until it is considered that only these slow, painful gains of knowledge lead to greater understanding of how our bodies and minds work. I consider the content of this book to be dense, jam-packed with knowledge on how our eyes work. Author Richard Masland realizes his audience, and does his best to walk us through the harder parts. The pictures and drawings throughout the book are a definite aid.
Along the way, Mr. Masland stretches out and examines other related paths, such as how memories are stored and the comparison between human and machine learning (contrary to what the media tells us, at this point in time we are not in danger of being replaced). Throughout the book there are plenty of explanations while at other times we receive a question to chew on (For example, in the last paragraph a question is posed: “When I see an apple, do I see the same red as you?”). That reminded me of a good friend, whose perceptions of what is green or blue always seems to slightly differ from mine.
This is not an easy read, but Mr. Masland’s style of writing greatly reduces the difficulty. Once a major point has been achieved, there is a recap to help us remember the salient pieces of knowledge. I also found the glossary to be invaluable if I didn’t remember a definition. I learned more about the ability to see than I ever expected, and did receive information about AI and the endeavors to make them see and remember (which was one of the reason I wanted to read this book). A side benefit were the extended explanations on how lab work and experiments in the world of neuroscience are conducted. Extremely interesting. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Perseus books for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.
Along the way, Mr. Masland stretches out and examines other related paths, such as how memories are stored and the comparison between human and machine learning (contrary to what the media tells us, at this point in time we are not in danger of being replaced). Throughout the book there are plenty of explanations while at other times we receive a question to chew on (For example, in the last paragraph a question is posed: “When I see an apple, do I see the same red as you?”). That reminded me of a good friend, whose perceptions of what is green or blue always seems to slightly differ from mine.
This is not an easy read, but Mr. Masland’s style of writing greatly reduces the difficulty. Once a major point has been achieved, there is a recap to help us remember the salient pieces of knowledge. I also found the glossary to be invaluable if I didn’t remember a definition. I learned more about the ability to see than I ever expected, and did receive information about AI and the endeavors to make them see and remember (which was one of the reason I wanted to read this book). A side benefit were the extended explanations on how lab work and experiments in the world of neuroscience are conducted. Extremely interesting. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Perseus books for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.
January 10, 2021
I'm a scientist and I enjoy books on the science of all different subjects. However the title and blurb for this book were extremely misleading. It sounded like it would be something along the lines of evolutionary biology. Essentially vision affects how we do things, why we do them, and our culture. I expected examples like how ancient people didn't "see" the color blue, has some people with brain injuries can no longer recognize people they love, how evolutionary pressures lead humans to have some of the best binocular vision among the species.
But there was none of that, and about third of the way through I almost gave up on this book. It is basically a combination of extremely dense biology, a pat on the back for the research the author has done, and hero worship and name dropping of the author's colleagues. The fact that I was listening to this as an audiobook is probably the only way I managed to complete it. The narrator was engaging at least.
At 87% of the way through the book, the author finally begins to address how vision affects the brain. But it is just a glancing blow. Frankly the author spends more time talking about the evolution of computers than about anything referenced in the title or description of the book.
I finished it to say that I finished it but that's 8 hours of my life I won't be getting back.
But there was none of that, and about third of the way through I almost gave up on this book. It is basically a combination of extremely dense biology, a pat on the back for the research the author has done, and hero worship and name dropping of the author's colleagues. The fact that I was listening to this as an audiobook is probably the only way I managed to complete it. The narrator was engaging at least.
At 87% of the way through the book, the author finally begins to address how vision affects the brain. But it is just a glancing blow. Frankly the author spends more time talking about the evolution of computers than about anything referenced in the title or description of the book.
I finished it to say that I finished it but that's 8 hours of my life I won't be getting back.
February 12, 2021
Sięgając po książkę traktującą o zmyśle wzroku nie za bardzo liczę na informacje o ulubionych płatkach śniadaniowych neurobiologa XYZ. Może te wkręty o niczym mają w zamyśle ułatwić odbiór materiału, pogrubić "popularno" w "popularnonaukowy", pełnić funkcję suchara w środku przydługiej prezentacji... ale mnie to wybija z rytmu, zniechęca. Bo pytam o kotka, a dostaję rybki.
Generalnie warto zerknąć, chociaż temat ujęty jest w sposób bardziej okrojony niż sugerowałby to tytuł. Jeśli kogoś interesują sieci neuronowe, znajdzie coś dla siebie.
Generalnie warto zerknąć, chociaż temat ujęty jest w sposób bardziej okrojony niż sugerowałby to tytuł. Jeśli kogoś interesują sieci neuronowe, znajdzie coś dla siebie.
March 20, 2021
To jest po prostu nudne. Bardziej naukowe niż popularne. Dla specjalistów (chyba).
December 9, 2021
"We Know It When We See It" was an interesting read and I liked learning more about how our vision works, but the writing style and some of the author's tangents didn't really work for me.
The information itself was interesting (if incredibly complex in some places), but the presentation could have been improved upon in my opinion.
The information itself was interesting (if incredibly complex in some places), but the presentation could have been improved upon in my opinion.
March 22, 2024
Nie wiem, czy skończę. Temat bardzo interesujący, ale nie znoszę, kiedy autor uważa czytelników za debili i ciągle pisze "to zbyt skomplikowane" oraz woli pisać o piciu piwa na florydzie i o tym, jak to miał ciężko jako doktorant niż o temacie książki.
April 20, 2021
An exhilarating dive down the rabbit hole of neurobiology, We Know It When We See It shows that there is, quite literally, more to vision than meets the eye. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...
December 16, 2019
Remarkable. This is one of those science books you love to find, no matter your particular interest in any field - a book written by seemingly one of the leaders in the field who has seemingly contributed much to the study of the issue at hand, yet who writes a book that we who barely know what the general subject is can understand the state of the field and the author's contributions to it. In this particular case, we are hearing about the state of vision and perception research from a cellular biologist who has himself won a couple of awards for research in this very field. Masland writes with enough precision that his peers can likely only quibble, if anything, and yet with enough generality that the rest of us can fairly easily follow the discussion. Even with a lack of the discussed diagrams in this particular ARC, the discussion was easily enough followed and the mild humor - if a bit geeky - was appreciated. Very much recommended.
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October 16, 2022Książka jest bardzo szczegółowa i bardzo naukowa. Niestety, w mojej opinii, niezbyt ciekawa dla laika. Podtytuł jest zwodniczy - oczekiwałam czegoś w stylu badań naukowych nad postrzeganiem rzeczywistości i mechaniką postrzegania świata również pod kątem psychologii. O kształtowaniu myśli informacje są znikome. Większość to szczegółowe opisy połączeń neuronowych i budowy mózgu, tematyka na pograniczu biologii i medycyny, skoncentrowana na dużej ilości szczegółów. Książka raczej dla osób z wykształceniem w tym właśnie kierunku i takimi zainteresowaniami. Dla mnie ciekawe było wyłącznie kilka rozdziałów, w których opisane zostały kwestie "widzenia" przez maszyny oraz sztucznej inteligencji - ale dla tych kilku stron moim zdaniem nie warto "męczyć się" przez pozostałą część książki.
January 10, 2020
A fantastic, well-written account of a scientific look at an incredibly important subject. The author’s staggering research comes off as easily readable and this massive undertaking is presented in a thoroughly enjoyable manner. The advance copy is missing some diagrams I’m anxious to see, but the scope and depth of these nearly 300 pages will surely prove to be a leap toward an even greater understanding of what it is for the human eye to “see” something.
June 4, 2023
I mistakenly thought this was going to draw more direct ties to how our way of visually processing the world around us influences our perceptions. It doesn’t.
The book was fine but I wouldn’t have picked it, had I realized it was a deep dive into visual processing (and how little we know about it).
The book was fine but I wouldn’t have picked it, had I realized it was a deep dive into visual processing (and how little we know about it).
August 12, 2020
Three and a half stars. Fascinating information about vision and perception delivered with a valiant attempt at accessibility. It was a bit too far over my unscientifically-trained head. I especially enjoyed the short sections devoted to the personalities and work of specific scientists.
March 11, 2021
A brilliant exposition of how sight works neurologically speaking -- at least as far as we know. What's fascinating is how little we know. Masland brings to life the stories of the scientists with real verve and affection, and that helps to make a potentially dry subject lively indeed. If you're interested in neuroscience, this should go on your to-read list.
April 3, 2022
Bardzo chaotyczna, ciągłe mieszanie tematów, a jeden rozdział to podsumowanie wszystkiego co było i te 20 stron jest ciekawsze od całej książki
July 31, 2025
spodziewałam się czegoś innego
sięgając po nią myślałam, że będzie to bardziej ciekawostkowa książka
jeśli ktoś interesuje się tym jak wyglada praca w laboratorium i świat naukowy, to może będzie to dobry wybór, ale mnie nie porwało
sięgając po nią myślałam, że będzie to bardziej ciekawostkowa książka
jeśli ktoś interesuje się tym jak wyglada praca w laboratorium i świat naukowy, to może będzie to dobry wybór, ale mnie nie porwało
September 8, 2025
lowkey it was my minds, brains, and machines class summarized in a book. the title is a bit misleading as most of the book is about how vision works but it does get to cognition at the very end.
December 31, 2019
*Free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was, pardon the pun, eye opening. I had no idea how complex our vision is. I figured perception was complicated, but the actual physiology of everything is fascinating. Really the main reason this isn't getting a 5 star review is because, despite Masland's attempts, there are still plenty of stretches of technical jargon. I had a lot of trouble reading through the book, not because of lack of interest, but because of how dense the material is. This is a fascinating topic and I do recommend it if you're curious about how you know you see what you see.
This book was, pardon the pun, eye opening. I had no idea how complex our vision is. I figured perception was complicated, but the actual physiology of everything is fascinating. Really the main reason this isn't getting a 5 star review is because, despite Masland's attempts, there are still plenty of stretches of technical jargon. I had a lot of trouble reading through the book, not because of lack of interest, but because of how dense the material is. This is a fascinating topic and I do recommend it if you're curious about how you know you see what you see.
August 15, 2022
Książka nie nadaje się dla zwykłych śmiertelników, a jej treść nijak ma się do tytułu.
June 2, 2020
I'm sad because the guy who wrote this died recently - I am just a little too late to write him the thank-you letter I was planning to send for writing this book.
This is probably a little light for most scientists but it matched my own somewhere megre powers of concentration. It is a lucid and fascinating introduction to and breakdown of the current state of our knowledge about the eye and the mind and paints an image of the brain processes which is very beautiful in its deep interconnectedness.
Sadly it did not have a lot about colour and its integration into the sensing of mass and shape, this I think, is part of the "binding problem", one of the subtle and beautiful meta-challenges lying before us in the neuobiology of vision.
The word-portraits of various scientists were lively and interesting, and many of the descriptions of actual experimental conditions were also. The strange ritual of finding a single neuron with a probe in particular has an almost occult quality to it.
Massland also seems to have killed his way through a shitload of animals during his career - it seems most research scientists in his field have also.
Few concepts;
The painted comics colouring of Lynn Varley seems to accidentaly reverse enineering neurological processes, creating lines first, then filling in with colours. Like cubism seems to take apart some of the management of image done by the retina.
For the problem of consiousness it might be worth speaking to the creators of video games, since the job of someone creating a simulated workd is to make an "I" and to bind it ino the centre of a sensuroum. Maybe those people are approximating in a crude way, some element of what the mind also does when creating an "I".
Hebbs neural nets can learn from *anything* - they are wired for vision and some human elements but once the capacity is there they will learn from any kind of regular environment.
The ability to be deluded or to experience an illusion or 'magic' seems totally linked to the capcities of neural nets. The nets can effectively predict or imagine times, places and processes not present through inference and combination, this penumbral predictive capacity is also what allows them to fool themselves.
Colour seems more vulnerable (adaptable to?) Saiper-Worf than lines. People can argue over what a colour might mean in differnt cultures, or do I see the same colour as you? But no-one argues over 'do I see the same *lines* as you' - probably because colour takes place "later" (if that even means anything in a system with so many deep feedback loops) in the Binding process.
This shits all over simulation theory to me. Enough with that ghastly bucket of shit idea.
This is probably a little light for most scientists but it matched my own somewhere megre powers of concentration. It is a lucid and fascinating introduction to and breakdown of the current state of our knowledge about the eye and the mind and paints an image of the brain processes which is very beautiful in its deep interconnectedness.
Sadly it did not have a lot about colour and its integration into the sensing of mass and shape, this I think, is part of the "binding problem", one of the subtle and beautiful meta-challenges lying before us in the neuobiology of vision.
The word-portraits of various scientists were lively and interesting, and many of the descriptions of actual experimental conditions were also. The strange ritual of finding a single neuron with a probe in particular has an almost occult quality to it.
Massland also seems to have killed his way through a shitload of animals during his career - it seems most research scientists in his field have also.
Few concepts;
The painted comics colouring of Lynn Varley seems to accidentaly reverse enineering neurological processes, creating lines first, then filling in with colours. Like cubism seems to take apart some of the management of image done by the retina.
For the problem of consiousness it might be worth speaking to the creators of video games, since the job of someone creating a simulated workd is to make an "I" and to bind it ino the centre of a sensuroum. Maybe those people are approximating in a crude way, some element of what the mind also does when creating an "I".
Hebbs neural nets can learn from *anything* - they are wired for vision and some human elements but once the capacity is there they will learn from any kind of regular environment.
The ability to be deluded or to experience an illusion or 'magic' seems totally linked to the capcities of neural nets. The nets can effectively predict or imagine times, places and processes not present through inference and combination, this penumbral predictive capacity is also what allows them to fool themselves.
Colour seems more vulnerable (adaptable to?) Saiper-Worf than lines. People can argue over what a colour might mean in differnt cultures, or do I see the same colour as you? But no-one argues over 'do I see the same *lines* as you' - probably because colour takes place "later" (if that even means anything in a system with so many deep feedback loops) in the Binding process.
This shits all over simulation theory to me. Enough with that ghastly bucket of shit idea.
May 3, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
We Know It When We See It is a layman accessible examination of sight and the incredible neurobiology of its cooperation with the body. Released 10th March 2020 by Hatchette on their Basic Books imprint, it's 272 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. t's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
There are a handful of engaging and adept "everyman" science writers who manage to break down and convey complex, even profound, concepts into digestible parts for non-specialists. It's a distinct gift and not one that all science writers have in equal measure. Happily, Dr. Masland seems to be quite adept at instruction without obfuscation, and I really enjoyed reading this densely instructive (and entertaining) treatise.
The book proceeds logically, building and defining the concepts from perception, through sight, how neurons are built up and interact, signaling pathways, some brain physiology and moving along to how the brain interprets the sent signals, what that means for the body in general and more widely, possible applications for machine learning and AI. (Exciting / fascinating stuff)!
The text throughout is meticulously annotated and full of links to further more specialized/complex reading for the especially interested. The author also includes short chapter notes at the end of the book with expanded info on chapter subjects. There is a comprehensive bibliography and further reading list, as well as a good glossary, but no index.
This book reminds me a lot of some of the best classes of my university career; enlightening and educational lectures with an engaged and competent professor. The text is never overly academic or pedantic (or dull), but it will take some effort to extract and learn the presented information.
Five stars, fascinating and worthwhile book for everyone.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
We Know It When We See It is a layman accessible examination of sight and the incredible neurobiology of its cooperation with the body. Released 10th March 2020 by Hatchette on their Basic Books imprint, it's 272 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. t's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
There are a handful of engaging and adept "everyman" science writers who manage to break down and convey complex, even profound, concepts into digestible parts for non-specialists. It's a distinct gift and not one that all science writers have in equal measure. Happily, Dr. Masland seems to be quite adept at instruction without obfuscation, and I really enjoyed reading this densely instructive (and entertaining) treatise.
The book proceeds logically, building and defining the concepts from perception, through sight, how neurons are built up and interact, signaling pathways, some brain physiology and moving along to how the brain interprets the sent signals, what that means for the body in general and more widely, possible applications for machine learning and AI. (Exciting / fascinating stuff)!
The text throughout is meticulously annotated and full of links to further more specialized/complex reading for the especially interested. The author also includes short chapter notes at the end of the book with expanded info on chapter subjects. There is a comprehensive bibliography and further reading list, as well as a good glossary, but no index.
This book reminds me a lot of some of the best classes of my university career; enlightening and educational lectures with an engaged and competent professor. The text is never overly academic or pedantic (or dull), but it will take some effort to extract and learn the presented information.
Five stars, fascinating and worthwhile book for everyone.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
May 25, 2020
It was the tagline that got me interested in reading this book. I took an elective in my undergrad, which focused on Neural Networking, and I remember loving the course and for once taking great notes( despite not being able to recollect most of the content now). I leant it to a junior immediately after the course was over and every once in a while I think about how nice it would have been to be able to refresh the basics. That background did help me find a little something more, the deeper the author went into the subject.
The author's purpose is simple, as he mentions in the book. He intends to bring the process of investigation, analysis and a general introduction of the neurobiology of sight to the average public since the scientific community would probably compile the notes in scientific journals that may not reach us. The problem was my copy was an advance reviewers version and lacked a lot of the diagrams being discussed, so I missed out on following a few facts. The content is supposed to be primarily about how we see and how our brain processes it. Sometimes there was a tangent when the people in the field are described for longer than I expected. Personally, I think a basic understanding of nerves, nerve endings etc. at high school level would be needed to process the more complicated analysis but maybe Google could help the really interested get further background information. The topics covered in the book do not merge to a single goal but instead talk about a lot of things, the majority of which I found fascinating. One thing that stuck with me and probably will for a while is the 'face recognition' parts of our brain. The study that gathered information about it and the results found were truly intriguing (to me).
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. The review, however, is entirely based on my own reading experience and my prior minuscule amount of knowledge about some of the topics discussed here.
The author's purpose is simple, as he mentions in the book. He intends to bring the process of investigation, analysis and a general introduction of the neurobiology of sight to the average public since the scientific community would probably compile the notes in scientific journals that may not reach us. The problem was my copy was an advance reviewers version and lacked a lot of the diagrams being discussed, so I missed out on following a few facts. The content is supposed to be primarily about how we see and how our brain processes it. Sometimes there was a tangent when the people in the field are described for longer than I expected. Personally, I think a basic understanding of nerves, nerve endings etc. at high school level would be needed to process the more complicated analysis but maybe Google could help the really interested get further background information. The topics covered in the book do not merge to a single goal but instead talk about a lot of things, the majority of which I found fascinating. One thing that stuck with me and probably will for a while is the 'face recognition' parts of our brain. The study that gathered information about it and the results found were truly intriguing (to me).
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. The review, however, is entirely based on my own reading experience and my prior minuscule amount of knowledge about some of the topics discussed here.
May 20, 2020
This is a science-science, not lite-science book - by which I mean there are plenty of diagrams, and Masland wants the reader to understand enough about the way neurons work to follow his later explanations of neural net formations. He has passion, and something to say, and if my brain hurt a little at times (and frankly, ebooks and diagrams are not a match made in heaven) I appreciated the depth of understanding I could later apply. The story Masland tells humbly is a grand one - of how millions of highly specialised circuits in the brain together become something incredible. The middle chapeters, which deal with how AI works, are a much faster read, before Masland plunges the reader back into tying it together in "how we actually thing - maybe". 3There are chatty asides about what he admires in people he worked with that irritated me slightly, and I hadn't realised how fond I had become of the author until I hit the stark, past-tense bio at the back of the book, and found myself genuinely upset that it turns out this is a posthumous publication (But I was *just* 'talking' to him on the other page!). The book won't be for everyone, but anyone with real curiosity about how the brain works - or AI programmers who want to understand more about the original neural net - will get a lot out of it. It was a pleasure to be educated without being patronised. It will be one of my fave neuroscience reads.
December 28, 2022
Basically, the writing style was off, so I DNFed at 30%.
As Dawn wrote on Goodreads: "a combination of extremely dense biology, a pat on the back for the research the author has done, and hero worship and name dropping of the author's colleagues." Annoyingly, it started with an extremely basic overview - too basic for a book like this - of how nerves work, but Mason lost that clarity when he got to his own field.
The problem was Masland's prose wasn't up to the task, and combined with his lack of focus, I couldn't really get into the parts of the book that did interest me. It felt like reading 4 pages of an old man rambling about his Harvard days, and another 3 pages of stuff I already knew, to finally get to 1 interesting paragraph, and so on.
I'm sure there were quite some interesting nuggets buried in this volume, but I couldn't bring myself to dig them out.
More non-fiction reviews on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It
As Dawn wrote on Goodreads: "a combination of extremely dense biology, a pat on the back for the research the author has done, and hero worship and name dropping of the author's colleagues." Annoyingly, it started with an extremely basic overview - too basic for a book like this - of how nerves work, but Mason lost that clarity when he got to his own field.
The problem was Masland's prose wasn't up to the task, and combined with his lack of focus, I couldn't really get into the parts of the book that did interest me. It felt like reading 4 pages of an old man rambling about his Harvard days, and another 3 pages of stuff I already knew, to finally get to 1 interesting paragraph, and so on.
I'm sure there were quite some interesting nuggets buried in this volume, but I couldn't bring myself to dig them out.
More non-fiction reviews on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It
February 19, 2020
Thank you to Perseus Books/Basic Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a deep dive into neuroscience, and a very good attempt to explain broadly how perception, including vision, works. Even without any particulary scientific background, it is fascinating to realize how our nervous system interacts with the outside world and its stimuli, and how information is conveyed to the brain.
What did not work so well for me were the author's attempts to move beyond this topic, as the explanations quickly got extremely technical and lost me. I also felt that the tagline of the title ("What the neurobiology of vision tells us about how we think") didn't really work, as the author basically bailed on discussing the nature of consciousness.
This was a deep dive into neuroscience, and a very good attempt to explain broadly how perception, including vision, works. Even without any particulary scientific background, it is fascinating to realize how our nervous system interacts with the outside world and its stimuli, and how information is conveyed to the brain.
What did not work so well for me were the author's attempts to move beyond this topic, as the explanations quickly got extremely technical and lost me. I also felt that the tagline of the title ("What the neurobiology of vision tells us about how we think") didn't really work, as the author basically bailed on discussing the nature of consciousness.
February 27, 2020
Thank you Netgalley and Perseus Books for this free advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Very interesting view into how our vision plays such a vital role in our brain function. I learned quite a number of interesting things about the brain and how remarkably complex the vision system is. I have to admit, although I am fascinated by neuroscience, this book went a bit over my heads at times, making it difficult to follow. That may just be a lack of understanding on my part. I’m eager to pick up a finished copy soon so I can look at the diagrams that weren’t included in my free review copy.
Very interesting view into how our vision plays such a vital role in our brain function. I learned quite a number of interesting things about the brain and how remarkably complex the vision system is. I have to admit, although I am fascinated by neuroscience, this book went a bit over my heads at times, making it difficult to follow. That may just be a lack of understanding on my part. I’m eager to pick up a finished copy soon so I can look at the diagrams that weren’t included in my free review copy.
June 3, 2021
Raamat sellest, kuidas info jõuab silma võrkkestalt ajusse ja mis sellel teekonnal toimub. Tegemist on üsna spetsiifilise jupiga inimese toimimisest ja lihtsam oleks, kui enne oleks juba vähe korralikumad teadmised aju ja meelte kohta olemas. Igal juhul targemaks saab, kuigi sellise üsna spetsiifilise teemaga on läbinärimist ka vastavalt. Veidi tuuakse ka paralleele tehnoloogiatega, mis kopeerivad inimaju, näiteks pilditöötlus ja AI, sealhulgas kinnitatakse, et AI-l pole veel niipea lootust maailma üle võtta.
July 6, 2022
Spodziewałam się czegoś innego. Na fali innych książek o funkcjonowaniu mózgu, miałam inne oczekiwania wobec treści.
Jest tu dużo (za dużo) naukowych wyjaśnień. Może dla absolwentów medycyny albo pasjonatów neurobiologii. Mnie to utrudnia czytanie.
Jest też dużo historii około-badawczych. Co lubił ten naukowiec, jak pracował inny, jak to się stało, że ktoś z kimś zaczął pracować i jak razem doszli do przełomu w nauce. Takie troszkę anegdoty. Troszkę wątki biograficzne. Ale dość ciekawie uzupełniają obraz (sic!) pracy nad zmysłem wzroku.
Jest tu dużo (za dużo) naukowych wyjaśnień. Może dla absolwentów medycyny albo pasjonatów neurobiologii. Mnie to utrudnia czytanie.
Jest też dużo historii około-badawczych. Co lubił ten naukowiec, jak pracował inny, jak to się stało, że ktoś z kimś zaczął pracować i jak razem doszli do przełomu w nauce. Takie troszkę anegdoty. Troszkę wątki biograficzne. Ale dość ciekawie uzupełniają obraz (sic!) pracy nad zmysłem wzroku.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
December 24, 2022Skimmed. Too much detail of science in the short work for a popular audience, though he claimed to simplifying. I don't like the profiles of the scientists. Too much admission that there's so much we don't know. Read like college lectures. Not sure what the point was. I just never saw the How We Think except on the most clinical level, as in, we think by neurons, synapses, axons doing all their complicated jobs. I wanted 'how we think about what we choose to pay attention to' sort of thing. More like the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in linguistics.
Dec. 2022
Dec. 2022
November 9, 2021
Ta książka okazała się być.. dużo bardziej specjalistyczną, niż się spodziewałam. Po tytule myślałam też, że autor faktycznie skupi się na wpływie zmysłu wzroku na myśli - zamiast tego, dowiadujemy się prawie wszystkiego co obecna nauka wie o procesie widzenia (co nie jest złe - po prostu ja zatytułowałabym tą książkę inaczej, np. "Naukowe tajniki widzenia", czy coś w tym stylu). Czytało się to długo i ciężko, ale ilość przyswojonej wiedzy jest conajmniej zadowalający.
April 16, 2021
Książka nie dla mnie.
Wydaje mi się, że ma dużo więcej z "naukowej" niż "popularnej". Dla osób już siedzących w tym temacie na pewno będzie to fajna forma albo przypomnienia sobie niektórych rzeczy albo poznania ciekawostek z życia badaczy.
Dodatkowo strasznie mi się dłużyła. Możliwe, że moje odczucia są tak negatywne, ponieważ nastawiałam się na coś innego.
Wydaje mi się, że ma dużo więcej z "naukowej" niż "popularnej". Dla osób już siedzących w tym temacie na pewno będzie to fajna forma albo przypomnienia sobie niektórych rzeczy albo poznania ciekawostek z życia badaczy.
Dodatkowo strasznie mi się dłużyła. Możliwe, że moje odczucia są tak negatywne, ponieważ nastawiałam się na coś innego.
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