You and Me: The Neuroscience of Identity

What is it that makes you distinct from me? Identity is a term much used but hard to define. For that very reason, it has long been a topic of fascination for philosophers but has been regarded with aversion by neuroscientists—until now. Susan Greenfield takes us on a journey in search of a biological interpretation of this most elusive of concepts, guiding us through the social and psychiatric perspectives and ultimately to the heart of the physical brain. Greenfield argues that as the brain adapts exquisitely to environment, the cultural challenges of the twenty-first century with its screen-based technologies mean that we are facing unprecedented changes to identity itself.

Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE, is a British scientist, writer, broadcaster, and member of the House of Lords. Specializing in the physiology of the brain, she researches the impact of twenty-first-century technologies on the mind, how the brain generates consciousness, and novel approaches to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Greenfield has written a range of books on issues relating to the mind and brain for the general reader. She appears regularly on radio and television and frequently gives talks to the public and private sector. She is a Senior Research Fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford.