The Mind is very similar in structure to one of my earlier staff picks: Future Science. Editor John Brockman presents contributions from some of the world’s leading scientists on the workings of the brain and aspects of human consciousness, development, memory, and learning.



In one of my favorite essays -- You Can’t be a Sweet Cucumber in a Vinegar Barrel -- Philip Zimbardo discusses what happens to people in toxic environments, and also the shared qualities of “heroes” who demonstrate an ability to rise above toxic, abusive, or unjust environments and actively work to stop them.



Another favorite is Amazing Babies by Alison Gopnik -- a researcher I had already discovered in a TedTalk titled “What do babies think?” Amazing Babies does include some of the same information presented in her TedTalk.



Other favorites from The Mind are

Eudaemonia: The Good Life, by Martin Seligman
The Neurology of Self-Awareness, by V.S. Ramachandran
How Is Personality Formed?, by Frank Sulloway
Sexual Selection and the Mind, by Geoffrey Miller



I highly recommend this book to those interested in neuroscience, and developmental and behavioral psychology. ( )