Mapping the Mind 的正評

這篇作者自稱退休的神經生物學家, 似乎也算涉及該領域的學者，只不過他在教成人一
門課叫"大腦使用者指引" ，應該恰恰好就需要這本書，不是那麼學術，涵蓋面廣，認
知深度也算足夠，加上優秀的編排、摘要、圖示，難怪他會把本書當成是作者的傑作
(tour de force)。身分不同，投入該領域的部位又不一樣，難怪同樣是專業，寫出來的
看法南轅北轍，但也互不扞格。


I am a retired neurobiologist who teaches a short course for adult learners entitled "An Operator's Guide To The Brain." I have used dozens of books from which to draw material, as well as my own research experiences on the cellular biology of neurons. None of these books is as valuable to me as Carter's "Mapping The Mind." The graphics are superb, and the layout of the book, where text, text boxes, the words of specialists, and graphics, are used to drive home the message, is remarkably creative. The information presented is very up-to-date, and there is so much to learn that the book lends itself to revisiting over and over. Of all my "brain" books, this is the one I would keep if only one had to be chosen. No doubt some will argue that the layout isn't as integrated and coherent as it might be, what with text boxes popping up here and there to interrupt word flow, and others might quibble about Carter's take on this or that, on the whole this is a truly remarkable book. In ten years some of it will be outdated by new findings in a fast-moving field, but the work nevertheless is truly inspired.