Plastic Reason

An Anthropology of Brain Science in Embryogenetic Terms

By: Tobias Rees

Write A Review

Paperback | 3 May 2016 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.27 x 1.55 x 0.22

Paperback

$59.40

or 4 interest-free payments of $14.85 with

or

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

Throughout the twentieth century, neuronal researchers knew the adult human brain to be a thoroughly fixed and immutable cellular structure, devoid of any developmental potential. Plastic Reason is a study of the efforts of a few Parisian neurobiologists to undermine this rigid conception of the central nervous system and to show that basic embryogenetic processes—most spectacularly the emergence of new cellular tissue in form of new neurons, axons, dendrites, and synapses—continue in the mature brain. Furthermore, these researchers sought to demonstrate that the new tissues are still unspecific and hence literally plastic, and that this cellular plasticity is constitutive of the possibility of the human. Plastic Reason, grounded in years of fieldwork and historical research, is an anthropologist’s account of what has arguably been one of the most sweeping events in the history of brain research—the highly contested effort to consider the adult brain in embryogenetic terms. A careful analysis of the breaking open of an established truth, it reveals the turmoil that such a disruption brings about and the emergence of new possibilities of thinking and knowing where before there were none.

Industry Reviews

"One of the most engaging and quirky anthropological monographs I have read in recent years." * Dialectical Anthropology *

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.