Antonio Damasio's two previous books, Descartes's Error and The Feeling of What Happens, appealed not only to scientists. The citations, prizes and honours, not to mention the author's photograph, reveal that Damasio, one of the world's leading neuroscientists, is also a person of deep sensitivity and broad cosmopolitan culture. Readers in search of a Renaissance man need look no further.

LRB 22 January 2004 | PDF Download