The space between our ears

In The Space Between our Ears Michael Morgan explains how our brain interprets what we see. Using a wealth of sources from over the centuries including philosophical writings, scientific thinking, experiments, passages from poems and novels, and scenes from films, Morgan reveals the difficulty in working out exactly how we make and receive our visual perceptions.

The Space Between Our Ears. How the brain represents visual space

By Michael Morgan

ISBN: 0-19-856955-6

Reviews

• ‘His is the most acutely imagined account of the visual brain for the lay reader since Steven Pinker revealed ‘How the Mind Works’. ‘ -New Scientist
• ‘Morgan provides an accessible exposition without doing violence to subtlety, and his book has won him the coveted Wellcome Trust prize ‘ -Sunday Times
• ‘Entertains as it informs. It if is true that visual perception is the latest arm of philosophy to break away and join the sciences, ‘The Space between our Ears’ is the narrative such a momentous event deserves. ‘ -The Spectator
• ‘…the book is a refreshing break from the textbook format and bang up-to-date.’ -Times Higher Education Supplement

To illustrate various points the book includes optical drawings as well as simple experiments that the reader can perform to test the different components of sight and our reactions to it.

The book describes and criticises recent attempts to locate the ‘neural correlates of consciousness’ in specific parts of the brain. Against what he calls the ‘secretion theory of consciousness’ Morgan controversially argues that visual perception is most likely to be a function of the whole visual pathway, not just a small part of it.

This intelligent, engaging book provides a revelatory overview of what we know about how the brain works regarding visual space, giving a unique insight into one of our most vital yet least understood senses.

Go to OUP for more information

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