Neuroscience and the Self: A Philosophical Exploration - A book review by Brenda Walker

Neuroscience and the Self A Philosophical Exploration

Printed in Great Britain by Amazon, 2025, Leonard Wise

Leonard Wise has authored a series of three self-published books linking neuroscience to discovering how to live a more meaningful life by unlocking potential, and this title is the second of those volumes. Neuroscience and the Self has a foreword by Dr. Lorraine M. Lawrence, a Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, with ‘decades spent studying consciousness’, who explains why it is important to understand the self in today’s world and how this particular volume ‘bridges science, philosophy and lived experience’. She mentions the fact that Leonard Wise draws upon years of expertise, and has firsthand experience in the field, but unfortunately, no other biographical information is provided. The question of defining Self is an ancient philosophical dilemma and Professor Lawrence suggests that this book is a ‘call to action’ whereby the reader will gain an understanding of the biological and philosophical foundations, creating insights that will ‘resonate far beyond’ the written word, enabling a clearer sense of purpose in life. To sum up Wise’s work, she quotes the American astronomer and planetary scientist, Carl Sagan, who wrote: “We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself”.

The reader is invited to the frontier where neuroscience meets philosophy and then to ‘step back, marvel at the complexity of being human and recognise the extraordinary potential within each of us’.  It is a book for anyone interested in either of these two subjects; a book to educate the public on how our brains work and how to utilize this knowledge to help improve the quality of life. The subject matter is well laid out and easy to read, which when describing scientific facts avoids ‘baffling academic language’. Due to the nature of this volume, neuroscience is entwined with philosophy from the start, although later, more emphasis is given to the integration of mind and body in the search for successful personal growth, thus encapsulating a philosophical exploration of Self. 

After a short introduction, this well-planned book is divided into four Parts, followed by a Conclusion, Epilogue, Appendices and Index. Every section is introduced with a black and white surreal artistic creation linking photography to art – unfortunately unacknowledged.  Surprisingly, throughout the text there are no source acknowledgements or textual references that one would have expected in such a volume. Nevertheless, it does provide a good introduction to understanding the connection between the brain and lived experience. Also, there is a treasure chest of information to be found in the three detailed and relevant appendices which include among other interesting topics: key neuroscience concepts with explanations; further reading and resources for life-long learning; articles and essays on scientific interests; practical strategies for growth; philosophical questions; book lists for neuroscience and philosophy; and reflective exercises for deepening awareness. Wise then adds a list of relevant podcasts, documentaries and films, online courses and platforms, and communities and support networks.

The introduction begins with what Wise describes as the eternal question – ‘Who am I?’  He views such a question as a personal quest to find one’s soul or identity. Drawing on brief literary, historical and anthropological details, he lists reasons as to why such a discussion seems so important to the human race, and suggests we are ‘hard-wired to seek meaning.’ Emphasising the fact that neuroscience and philosophy have made great advances in recent years, he suggests that, despite the difficulty of understanding ourselves, answers to questions regarding ‘self will’, ‘consciousness’, and the ability to align our inner world with the external reality, may be closer than we think. 

Most of the chapters within the four parts end with suggestions as to how the reader can benefit practically by understanding the brain together with strategies for sustainable achievement. On other occasions, there are short passages explaining various headings related to the text. A brief summary concludes each section which usually ends with a question posed either to reinforce the previous subject matter or to introduce the following chapter.

The author invites readers to accompany him on a journey during which they will be introduced to the brain’s structure and function, the use of techniques such as fMRI, EEG, and optogenetics. They will also experience the combination of precision neuroscience with the depth of philosophical enquiry, in order to provide a richer, more accessible comprehensive exploration of the Self. Once inspired to consider alternative ways of thinking, this new understanding in their lives, involving both scientific and humanistic dimensions, should lead to ‘self-discovery, clarity, and maybe even a little joy’. Wise describes this adventure as an invitation, not to find a definitive answer, but as ‘an eternal call to keep exploring, growing and becoming.’

PART 1. discusses the foundations of identity – the science behind the “You”. In this section, René Descartes’ belief that the mind is separate from the body is debated, together with his famous phrase, “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am). Wise goes on to describe the brain as the seat of consciousness, where billions of neural networks construct reality from ‘best guesses’. He follows this with case studies, beginning with Phineas Cage, and in doing so introduces neuroimaging technologies that reveal the brain’s complex network in action showing the way the pre-frontal cortex, the hippocampus and amygdala co-ordinate to form ‘the subjective experience we call “the self” –  In other words, our identity.   Here, Wise introduces the interconnectivity of neural networks ‘via electric signals and chemical messengers called neurotransmitters’, describing how the brain is involved in predictive processing and error correction. He adds everyday analogies from the prospective of external reality and internal neuroplasticity, accentuating the fact that we are the architects of our own minds.

Wise  uses another case study, conducted by Michael Gazzaniga on split brain patients to explain the corpus callosum that links the two hemispheres and how, when something fails to connect, the brain creates narratives to make sense of any activity:  ‘A patchwork of competing impulses and interpretations stitched together by storytelling’. When considering identity, he then contracts the implications of a ‘shifting mosaic’ into three short paragraphs headed: The Self is Dynamic, not Static; Conscious Awareness is Limited; and Identity is Socially Constructed. To conclude PART 1’s  first chapter, the reader is reminded that Decartes was mistaken when stating ‘I think, therefore I am’, for the Self actually arises from ‘the symbiosis of biology, psychology and sociology, which provide a foundation for exploring deeper aspects such as memory, free will, emotions and the social dimensions of identity’.

The second chapter concentrates on aspects of memory; sensory short-term and long-term (explicit and implicit). The hippocampus is described, delineating its crucial role in declarative memory, and the devastating effects that take place if damaged.  When explaining how memories helps us to be anchored to a time- line that creates a personal history of our past, present and expected future, he mentions other aspects in the multifaceted nature of identity. The science behind memory reveals its vulnerability and Wise recalls examples of false memories, forgetting, and the myth of objective recall. He relates the ground-breaking experiments on false memories carried out by the pioneering psychologist, Elizabeth Loftus; the surgery to remove the hippocampus of Henry Molaison, who suffered from seizures; and the story of Clive Wearing, the man who lost his past, due to retrograde amnesia.

Without a memory, who are we? This and other philosophical questions relating to Clive Wearing’s condition are discussed with reference to John Locke’s opinions and the contradictory findings of modern neuroscience. Readers with a specific interest in how to cultivate a resilient memory are given practical advice with a reminder ‘that memory is a tool – not a fixed record – to aid navigation through life.’

Consciousness is described as ‘The great mystery of being aware’, but is it as real as it seems? Optical illusions are described together with how the brain changes its internal ‘map of the environment’ when it realizes its predictions are incorrect. If not corrected, problems emerge illustrating that consciousness is not a direct reflection of reality, just ‘a best guess shaped by biology, experience and context’, and in this way accentuating ‘the fragility of subjective experience’. 

 The author often engages the reader with a series of questions and explanations which help to break down certain mysteries such as living without awareness; the hard and easy problems of consciousness; integrated information theory; electric impulses; and disorders such as dissociative identity disorder (DID) that appear when the combination of areas contributing to consciousness cause it to falter. Before concluding, he again suggests practical ways to harness the ‘power of awareness’ mentioning mindfulness, cognitive reframing, psychedelic-assisted therapy, sleep optimisation and social connection by ‘viewing the body as a mindful partner’. Examples of this are ‘intuition’ and ‘gut feeling’ for they are no longer viewed as irrational, but rise from either ‘rapid, nonconscious computations’ in the brain or from the vagus nerve that is the communication link from ‘the brain stem to the major organs’.  The next question guides the reader to PART 2.  ‘Does free will exist or is it merely another trick of the mind?’  

Nearly forty years ago, the question of free will in decision making was queried due to research by Benjamin Libet, and despite many critics, his conclusions were collaborated by other researchers, such as Benjamin Haggard. To date, recent research appears to acknowledge that decision making is ‘a process driven primarily by unconscious mechanisms, with conscious awareness playing a second role.’  Other aspects are covered when Wise challenges assumptions in ‘Rethinking What it Means to be Human’, ‘Emotions: Built, Not Born’ and ‘The Social Animal: Wired for Connection’. By providing examples from life, he explains how, with the aid of a predictive brain, culture constructs our experiences and to some extent our emotions. He then elucidates the philosophical terms – intentionality, determinism and compatibilism, – adding that neuroscience tends to ‘lean towards’ determinism, as this stresses the role of unconscious processes in shaping behaviour. He then mentions Daniel Dennett, a prominent philosopher who favours ‘a nuanced form of free will’ which he named ‘evitability’.

Moral dilemmas and neuroscience studies of brain activity are discussed with examples and suggestions for managing mental health, decision-making, and the ability to form stronger relationships. A list of predictive brain models reveals the stages that take place in the brain: sensory input – all the senses contribute to the vast flood of information; prediction generation – brain generates predictions gleaned from previous experience in its memory stores; error correction – explores new sensory data to compare with its predictions and adjusts as necessary; and emotional construction – active, dynamic processes drawn from the brain’s prediction and adjustment. While writing about humans as social animals, Wise considers mirror neurons, empathy and bonding. Loss of self, mental health issues and the pressure to conform are also examined when expressing the idea of finding ourselves through others. The author looks on tribalism as a cooperative way to insure survival, comparing it with today’s world where ‘ingroup’ loyalty is set against ‘outgroup’ fairness, amplified by social media, conspiracy theories, and adolescent ‘groupthink’, suggesting that finding yourself through others could have a dark, negative effect.

PART 3. looks at new paradigms for understanding the Self. As we all have a narrative identity, Wise believes everyone to be a storyteller and so encourages readers to gain the power to rewrite their own scripts, changing trauma to resilience. One case study recalled is about Viktor Frankle who survived Auschwitz. The brain’s neuroplasticity and the science of transformation are illustrated with two stories: How an addict was able to discard the habit; and how Donald Hebb’s hypothesis, “cells that fire together wire together”, produced an axiom known as Hebb’s Rule.

PART 4. is about healing the Self in a modern world, the dangers of burn out, alternating bouts of pleasure that backfire, and the need for a happiness plan. Fragmented mental health requires a ‘cognitive reframe’ so that the feeling of peace and well-being can develop. One of the purposes of this book is to guide the reader to look beyond individualism in order to help achieve the necessary steps towards a feeling of what the author calls ‘wholeness’.   

His conclusion and epilogue express the author’s personal vision for the future of philosophy and neuroscience. He sees many ethical dilemmas on route to shaping the human experience, but hopes that individual awareness will grow into collective understanding which would be a positive outcome for humanity. What reads like a personal letter is headed, ‘Invitation to Join the Conversation’ – which inspires thoughts and a challenge to:

This title and the two others by Wise, mentioned in this review, ‘CONNECTING DOTS, The Role of Neuroscience in Understanding Human Behaviour’ and ‘CHEMICAL HARMONY, How Neurotransmitters Shape Our Lives’, are well written in a personal style, uncluttered by scientific jargon and seen through ‘the lens of everyday life’. However, the author, and the scientists who wrote the Forewords, must have been extremely disappointed to see their work presented with so many errors by whoever transferred the original texts to book form.  Amazon AI engineered publishing is no doubt a much cheaper and sought after option by many from abroad. Nevertheless, the errors in all these titles cannot be ignored, notably: book title ‘headers’ crammed into the top of each page all in lower case without capitals; many section headers in bold placed at the bottom of a page setting it apart from the material that follows; occasionally the text being stretched resulting in excessive spaces; all three volumes using the same unacknowledged source for the illustrations; the front cover of ‘CONNECTING DOTS’ even omitting the word ‘behaviour’ so it reads, ‘The Role of Neuroscience in Understanding Human’; and the most astonishing errors are  found in all the indexes, where the range of page numbers for many listings are incorrect. For example, in Neuroscience and the Self, page numbers are entered up to 185, when the book’s total pagination is 134!  Yet despite these anomalies, the three books still provide useful resources and are thought-provoking reads.   

Brenda Walker. June 2025