Since Descartes famously proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am," science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person’s true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended, until recently, to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes’ Error in 1995. Antonio Damasio—"one of the world’s leading neurologists" ( The New York Times )—challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. In this wondrously engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behavior.


美国南加州大学戴维·多恩西弗神经科学与心理学教授、脑和创造力研究中心主任，同时担任索尔克研究院及衣阿华大学兼职教授。作为当今世界公认的神经科学研究领域的领袖，他还是美国国家科学院医学研究院院士，美国艺术与科学院院士。他曾获得多项荣誉（其中几项与同为神经科学家和神经病学家的妻子汉娜·达马西奥共同获得），其著作《笛卡尔的错误》、《感受发生的一切》（The feeling of what happens）、《寻找斯宾诺莎》（Looking for spinoza）备受赞誉，成为世界各国高校及研究机构的必读书目。