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> September 24, 1999:
Hour Two: A Conversation with John Horgan
In 1997, writer John Horgan created a stir in the scientific community with his book "The End of Science." In it, he argued that many of the "pure science" fields such as particle physics and cosmology were on the wane - that most of the big discoveries had already been made. Now, in his new book, "The Undiscovered Mind," Horgan poses another controversial challenge to science. Neurologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists will ultimately fail in their quests to understand the inner workings of the brain, Horgan says -- because the brain is complex beyond our ability to comprehend. | But what about recent advances, like the PET scans that allow scientists to monitor the workings of different areas of the brain? What about researchers in genetics who constantly seem to be announcing the discovery of another gene that ties into memory, learning, or behavior? What about new drugs like Prozac? And what about the computer scientists trying to develop artificial intelligence? | 
NIMH/John Hsiao image
| Is brain science a bust? Join Ira Flatow for a conversation with the ever-controversial John Horgan on this hour of Science Friday. Guests:
John Horgan
Author, "The End of Science" (Helix Books, 1997)
Author, "The Undiscovered Mind: How The Human Brain Defies Replication, Medication, and Explanation" (Simon and Schuster, 1999)
Garrison, New York
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
- John Horgan on SciFri, May 1997: SCIENCE EQUALS TRUTH?
- AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Academy of Neurology
- BrainWeb: Simulated Brain Database
- Human Brain, The: Dissections of the Real Brain
- Whole Brain Atlas
- Cognitive Science Society
- American Association for Artificial Intelligence
- American Academy of Psychoanalysis
- American Psychoanalytic Association
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- This segment produced by:
Charles Bergquist
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist
Site Editor
Brad Kloza |