The Man Who Wasn't There: Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self in Science and Inquiry

Apr 24, 2019 Petra X rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-read, psycho-neurology-crime, medicine-science, 10-star-books, 2019-100-reviews, reviewed

What was most interesting about this book was the exploration of phantom limb pain after an amputation and BIID (people who want limbs amputated because they feel the limb doesn't 'belong' to them). People with BIID do not get phantom limb pain. I have read explanations of phantom limb pain before but never quite so clearly.

We have a map of our bodies on our brains, physically. Areas with a lot of feeling, like fingers or lips, are bigger than those with less feeling, say an elbow. If a limb is What was most interesting about this book was the exploration of phantom limb pain after an amputation and BIID (people who want limbs amputated because they feel the limb doesn't 'belong' to them). People with BIID do not get phantom limb pain. I have read explanations of phantom limb pain before but never quite so clearly.

We have a map of our bodies on our brains, physically. Areas with a lot of feeling, like fingers or lips, are bigger than those with less feeling, say an elbow. If a limb is amputated the brain might not adjust leaving a map of the limb on the brain. If anything causes that area of the brain to be interpretated as pain, that's what the person will feel.

With BIID, it seems that the are areas of the body map missing. Therefore a leg that is real but has no brain map feels like a foreign object, an unwanted one. Imagine having a very large and disgusting crab stuck to your body 24/7, wouldn't you want rid of it, even if it meant scarring or loss of function? Could this be treated better by psychiatric means? A lot of sufferers have tried this, so far nothing has worked except amputation.

What was the ah-ha moment for me was reading about the lady who could feel all four limbs although she was born without any. The brain map of her body had developed before her body did, and since it never did, she was left with limbs she could feel in her head although they didn't exist. It was then I understood. And then I began to wonder if there is a connection to the various gender issues that have recently come to the forefront in discussion of personhood.

Modifying genitals, taking hormones, getting plastic surgery, dressing as the opposite sex does not in fact transform the person into the sex they want to be because their genes are unalterable. But do they then really feel they are of their chosen sex? Is their body now in line with a brain map of who they say they are? There is a lot of vociferousness, especially in mtf competing in female sports and with feminism by mtf transgenders. To me they are acting exactly as men trying to dominate and tell women what's what, and in fact the few transgender friends I have are still men when they are relaxed and not acting their best in public. So to me, their personalities were always that of men, maybe it is just a body thing and personality is in no way affected?

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There is an alternate view of autism put forward that is quite different from the conventional one, and also a treatment, cold wrapping, that is standard in France and unheard of in the USA. It is too complex to sum up briefly, but if you have a major interest in autism then it is really worth reading the book. ...more

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Aug 26, 2015 Jimmy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: philosophy

Before I begin, I thought I'd let you know: You don't exist. Hope you don't mind me telling you that. Just thought it might be helpful in your dealings with the world . . . which in its own way, I guess, also does not exist. Oh . . . and by the way, I'm not joking. You really don't exist. But don't feel bad because either do I. And like you, I sure feel like I exist.

"It seems outlandish that the centerless universe, in all its spatio-temporal immensity, should have produced me, of all people . ...more

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Nov 09, 2021 Alyssa Tuininga rated it really liked it

Really interesting stories of people dealing with conditions that affect sense of self. There is a great deal of brain biology mixed in with personal stories. I found it really interesting, a bit over my head at times.

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