Episode · EconTalk · 2023-07-24
Russ Roberts & Erik Hoel: books mentioned on EconTalk (Jul 2023)
Erik Hoel on Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science
Neuroscientist and author Erik Hoel talks about his book, The World Behind the World, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. Is it possible to reconcile the seemingly subjective inner world of human experience with the seemingly objective outer world of observation, measurement, and science?
Erik Hoel discussed The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes, The Sensory Order by Friedrich a Hayek and others, and A new kind of science by Stephen Wolfram. Russ Roberts recommended Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, and discussed After Babel by George Steiner, The master and his emissary by Iain McGilchrist, Sheppey by William Somerset Maugham, and The Consolation of Philosophy.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes is a provocative 1976 psychological study proposing that ancient humans were not consciously self-aware but instead operated with a bicameral mind that heard divine auditory hallucinations.
Discussed“But this thesis comes from Julian Jaynes in a book that came out in 1976, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.”
Where to get it
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After Babel
After Babel by George Steiner is a profound critical study of language, meaning, and translation that argues all human communication and acts of interpretation fundamentally function as acts of translation.
Discussed“And there's a wonderful book by George Steiner called After Babel where he talks he gives he opens the book with a bunch of he opens with Shakespeare I think and he says um can you understand this?”
Where to get it
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Arcadia
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard is a complex modern play that explores the intersections of time, mathematics, literature, and the persistent human tension between extrinsic and intrinsic perspectives.
Recommended“The listeners may remember that I'm a big fan of Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, and uh Arcadia is really a about the tension between the extrinsic and intrinsic perspective.”
Where to get it
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The master and his emissary
The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist is a detailed exploration of brain hemispheric lateralization and its cultural consequences.
Discussed“I also want to reference, you know, the conversation I did with Iain McGilchrist, which is also his book, um The Master and His Emissary, or The Master and His Emissary.”
Where to get it
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The Sensory Order
Discussed“And actually, I think possibly the first person in history, as far as I can tell, to make this argument was uh Friedrich Hayek, um who wrote a a little sort of a little-known book in 1952 called The Sensory Order.”
Where to get it
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Sheppey
Discussed“Uh but the most eloquent version of it is told by Somerset Maugham in a play uh that he wrote in 1933 called uh Sheppey.”
Where to get it
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The Consolation of Philosophy
The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius is a foundational medieval philosophical classic written as the Roman statesman awaited execution, addressing the nature of fortune, free will, and true happiness.
Discussed“you know, there's this a small section of the book about Boethius, you know, who is a Roman consul and and philosopher and this is around, you know, the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Dark Ages and he writes a really famous book, one of the best in medieval literature, called The Consolation of Philosophy, while he's”
Where to get it
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A new kind of science
A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram is a sprawling foundational text that explores cellular automata, complexity theory, and alternative computational models for understanding the universe.
Discussed“And I think, you know, even if you look at somebody like like Stephen Wolfram, you know, who was doing who wrote a book called A New Kind of Science in which he talks about he he really dives into this these these new notions of of chaos theory and whether or not systems are sort of reducible”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“His latest book and the subject of today's conversation is The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science.”
“His book is The World Behind the World, Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science.”