The Man Who Tasted Shapes
The Man Who Tasted Shapes Books
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“Space constraints preclude me from giving more than a mere flavour of the richness of Cytowic’s thought. With broad sweeps, he outlines a new landscape. . . . Read this book–and the more objective you reckon you are, the more open-minded you will need to be to appreciate it.” — The New Scientist In 1980, Richard Cytowic was having dinner at a supporter’s house, when his host exclaimed, “Oh, dear, there aren’t enough points on the chicken.” With that casual comment started Cytowic’s journey into the shape up known as synesthesia. The ten people in one million who are synesthetes are born into a world where one sensation (such as sound) conjures up one or more others (such as taste or color). Although scientists have known about synesthesia for two hundred years, until now the shape up has remained a mystery. Extensive experiments with more than forty synesthetes led Richard Cytowic to an explanation of synesthesia–and to a new conception of the organization of the mind, one that emphasized the primacy of emotion over reason. Because there were not enough points on chicken served at a dinner nearly two decades ago, Cytowic came to explore a deeper reality that he believes exists in all individuals, but ordinarily below the surface of awareness. In this medical detective adventure, he reveals the brain to be an active explorer, not just a passive receiver, and offers a new view of what it means to be human–a view that turns upside down conventional thoughts about reason, emotion, and who we are. * Not for sale in the United Kingdom and Eire
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Even as the book is supposed to focus on synaesthesia, it seems more to focus on Cytowic’s views on the medical profession. In addition to the ridiculus interactions between people, he cuts down most people and finds a way to make himself seem intelligent and profound. When Cytowic did really talk about synaesthesia it was clearly written and very fascinating. Perhaps there wasn’t enough to write about synaesthesia. Who knows…
Rating: 2 / 5
I had sought after to read this since I first heard about it on Broadcast radio near 2 years ago. I finaly got nearly to getting it recently and was dissapointed. Dr Cytowic beats his oppinions into the ground even as the reader is left hoping he will get back to discussing Synestasia, which is supposedly what the book is about. There is very small in rank about the shape up written into the book. Also the Authors insistance on writing overly simplified dialoges drags the book near into the realm of the unreadable. Read this only if you have an overwhelming desire to learn a VERY LITTLE about Synestasia.
Rating: 5 / 5
When Richard Cytowic, a neurologist, found a man who reported sensations of shapes in response to various tastes, he developed a curiosity about crossed-sensory perceptions that are technically called synesthesias. He first explored the literature and research reports, finding limited and inconsistent impressions in the published literature. He then studied people in his clinical do who reported these experiences.
Cytowic made some unusual observations – for a neurologist. I quote his words in some detail, to illustrate his gifts for deep observations, wise understandings of the human shape up, and delightful clarity of descriptions and explanations.
Not everything we are capable of knowing and doing is accessible to or expressible in language. This means that some of our private knowledge is off limits even to our own inner thoughts! Perhaps this is why humans are so often at odds with themselves, because there is more going on in our minds that we can ever consciously know. (p. 17)
Furthermore, in the administer of his explorations and clinical work, he became a champion of clinical assessments by the physician – rather than relying primarily on instrumented diagnostics. Although he does not appear to identify himself as such, his work clearly fits well in the wholistic healing spectrum. Cytowic’s forceful observations converse in best for themselves.
I also sensed that a prevalent attitude, no matter what the specialty, was that the history of medicine had noting to teach the bestow, and if symptoms may possibly not be measured with a machine, then they were imaginary. All nearly me I found people willing to trade in their own judgments for ones made by a machine. Anything from the past was thrown without question on the crumb heap with the leeches. (p. 31)
We have paid with dollars and our humanity ever since the stethoscope appeared as the first instrument to come between patient and physician. The art of medicine has steadily yielded to the calculus of detachment and the tabulation of hard data… Machine interposition has increased exponentially, until today we have hardly any touching and small real human narrow. Patients have been reduced to objects, and physicians to dispassionate feeders of the machines. (p. 38)
In the sense that third-party insurers are bureaucrats, they constitute yet another “machine” that stands between doctor and patient. Bean counters with hearts of stone have replaced compassion and caring. (p. 39)
I judge that, hardly realizing it, we have come to serve technology even though we proposed for it to serve us. The machine is held in such high esteem that, in medicine, many implicitly judge that caring is what is left for physicians to do when technical intervention has failed. (p. 40)
Refusing to conform to this trend, Cytowic persisted in promoting his clinical neurological observations as valid assessments, in and of themselves. He succeeded in getting the insurance companies to accept his clinical assessments as valid diagnostic in rank.
Cytowic also criticizes his medical colleagues, who have very authoritarian, arrogant attitudes and assume that their knowledge is the be-all and end-all of what is available in clinical knowledge. He goes on to champion the validity of intuitive knowledge and awarenesses based on inner experiences; and to advocate for accepting people’s subjective reports as real and helpful in rank about their lives and conditions.
Cytowic understands the endless regress of modern scientific inquiry, which cannot ever arrive at its stated goal of ultimate understanding and control of our world.
I was intellectually attracted by the complexity of the life of the mind, but I was disappointed, too, that any promise of an explanation was an illusion. No matter how many questions you resolution, you are everlastingly left asking more. There is no such thing as final understanding because understanding is an endless administer. Answering one round of questions only takes you to a higher plane of understanding that makes you question a higher level of questions. The experience of living itself is such a administer. (p. 43)
Cytowic proposes that emotions govern our behavior rather than judgment and reason. He presents detailed observations to support this observation – which will be the meat of this book for my medical colleagues. He goes on to top out that we are still unable to localize many of the functions of the mind, even though we have clearly identified them.
What we know of as our conscious, rational self is not in control; some other part of us is. Moreover, this unfathomable part is capable of producing some fantastic behavior, which is all the wonderful, irrational, and fascinating stuff that humans do. (p.178)
Bringing reason to bear on what we are doing often interferes with it. Rational judgment does not exchange the baby’s diaper, find the file you are looking for, or drive you to work.
(p. 179)
This book is an brilliant read, in addition to being a book of fantastic scientific interest.
Rating: 5 / 5
Brilliant book, but not enough of it. I sought after more theory and less storytelling. We know a lot more about synesthesia now, and many more people have symptoms in unreliable degrees of it than previously realized. I want to see a follow up book – SOON please!
Rating: 4 / 5
For those of you who have, or reckon they have synesthesia, this is a must read book.
Rating: 5 / 5