Publisher's Synopsis
For ages there has been a gap between the two cultures of the sciences and religions. According to Roger Sperry, science can now bridge the gap between the "cold hard facts" of the sciences and humanitarian and religious values. Sperry won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for his work on the differences between the left and right halves of the brain. For the past twenty years he has been campaigning for human consciousness and values to be investigated scientificlly. This book describes Sperry's work and his struggle to guide humanity beyond a world divided.;Sperry believes that the key to this undivided world lies in accepting that terms such as "consciousness", "value", "love" and "joy" are scientifically meaningful, just like terms referring to brain physiology, such as "neural pathways" and "electrical impulse". The split between mind matter, or religion, and science can be removed, says Sperry, by expanding scientific research. Now, conscious experiences must be taken into account as scientific information about the brain. Our values, beliefs and goals can directly affect our brain states and physiology.