A Review of Incognito

The aim of the book as a whole was to make sense of what goes on in our minds. Granted, this is an extremely tough job, as our minds are exorbitantly complex systems. David Eagleman proved that the brain and sensory organs don't always reveal the world as it is; our mind can play tricks on us. Eagleman further argues that the actions of the unconscious are so powerful that they can overthrow consciousness and, when combined with the influences of genetic expression, undermine our traditional ideas of self-control and free will.

Neuroscience raises deep, disturbing questions about crime, punishment, and the organization of society, which may have been the most interesting part of the whole book. Should mentally challenged people should be held responsible for their actions? On one hand, they aren't completely consciously responsible for their actions, but on the other hand, they committed a socially unacceptable crime. Does that deserve punishment?
 
Now, I suppose I didn't enjoy how Eagleman made us double-guess ourselves about consciousness and free will. As one student pointed out in class, I like to think I'm in control of myself. If I'm not, who is? It simply makes me unsettled to think that I don't get a say in my own identity.

In summation, the book had its ups and downs. There was no coherent order to the book and it tried to cram in too much information. A multitude of interesting facts was intended to shock the readers on almost every page of the novel, and shock us it did. However, it included so many optical illusions and surprising psychology experiments that I couldn't take it all in at once. I feel that Eagleman tried too hard to impress the readers, and I ended up with a headache at the end of the novel. If you're interested in random facts about neuroscience, then I recommend it. Just don't read it all at once or you may become overwhelmed.