Book · 2008 · Psychology
Descartes' Error
Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain
- mentions
- 7
- people
- 5
- podcasts
- 7
- episodes
- 7
- recommendations
- 3
His groundbreaking book, Descartes' Error, reshaped modern neuroscience by proving we are not thinking machines that feel, we are feeling machines that think.
Jay Shetty · On Purpose with Jay Shetty · Sep 2025 Listen at 14:22 What they say about it
- First book by Antonio Damasio“first book in 1994”2
- Role of feelings in decisions“admitted into the decision-making process”2
The best things said about it
There's a great book on this called Descartes' Error. You can look it up, but we use logic to decide how we're going to feel.
A good place to point people about this is Damásio's Descartes' Error.
And in a way, this is the lesson of Antonio Damasio's first book in 1994, Descartes' Error it was called. And he was basically showing that feelings and emotions should be admitted into the decision-making process.
Michael Pollan The Book Review · May 2026 In a way, this is the lesson of Antonio Damasio’s first book in 1994, Descartes' Error, it was called, and he was basically showing that feelings and emotions should be admitted into the decision making process.
Michael Pollan The Ezra Klein Show · Mar 2026 Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
5 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Descartes' Error by Antonio Damasio is a foundational work in neuroscience that examines how emotions are deeply intertwined with human reasoning and decision-making. Joe Hudson recommended the book on My First Million and The Rich Roll Podcast, using its insights to explain that humans rely on feelings rather than pure logic alone to determine their choices. John Vervaeke likewise recommended the publication on The Tim Ferriss Show when discussing the crucial connection between human emotion and cognition. Ralph Adolphs mentioned the book on Huberman Lab to illustrate the severe consequences that arise when individuals lose their emotional faculties. Michael Pollan discussed the text across appearances on The Book Review and The Ezra Klein Show, emphasizing the book's core lesson that feelings and emotions must be admitted into the human decision-making process. Jay Shetty also explored the publication on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, stating that it reshaped modern neuroscience by proving that humans are fundamentally feeling machines that think rather than purely logical calculating machines.
Every mention
Joe Hudson So, and you can read a book about this. It's called Deart's Error. It was written by a neuroscientist in li… 2
“So, and you can read a book about this. It's called Deart's Error. It was written by a neuroscientist in like 2012 or something.”
“And there's a great book on this called Decart's Error. You can look it up, but um we use logic to decide how we're going to feel.”
John Vervaeke And I mean, a good place to point people about this is Damásio's Descartes' Error. Right? 1
“And I mean, a good place to point people about this is Damásio's Descartes' Error. Right?”
Michael Pollan And in a way, this is the lesson of Antonio Damasio's first book in 1994, Descartes' Error it was called. A… 2
“And in a way, this is the lesson of Antonio Damasio's first book in 1994, Descartes' Error it was called. And he was basically showing that feelings and emotions should be admitted into the decision-making process.”
“I mean, in a way, this is the lesson of Antonio Damasio’s first book in 1994, "Descartes' Error," it was called, and he was basically showing that feelings and emotions should be admitted into the decision making process...”
Jay Shetty His groundbreaking book, Descartes' Error, reshaped modern neuroscience by proving we are not thinking mach… 1
“His groundbreaking book, Descartes' Error, reshaped modern neuroscience by proving we are not thinking machines that feel, we are feeling machines that think.”
Ralph Adolphs If you have no emotions as we know from Antonio Damasio's original work in his book Daycart's error uh whic… 1
“If you have no emotions as we know from Antonio Damasio's original work in his book Daycart's error uh which he put out just as I was starting as a posttock in Iowa 1994”
