Am I Just My Brain?

Andy Bannister

Are we nothing more than the atoms of which we are made? Can humans be reduced to just the lump of grey matter between our ears? Are we, as the famous neuroscientist Francis Crick claimed, “Nothing but a pack of neurons”? This isn’t just a scientific question but one with huge implications, not least for what it means to be a person. In Am I Just My Brain?, Sharon Dirckx draws upon her doctoral work in the sciences together with her years of experience explaining the Christian faith, to help the reader think their way through this crucial question and to respond, with clarity and compassion, to the increasingly shrill voices in our culture that want to explain away what really make us human. Whether you’re a Christian who wants to respond intelligently to new questions from neuroscience, or a seeker who suspects that the secular story isn’t the whole story, Am I Just My Brain? will help you get not just your head—but also your heart, mind and everything else that makes you you—around this fascinating topic.

AM I JUST MY BRAIN?

The inner life – a window into our deepest fears and desires. The core of who we are as people. You want to know who I am? Forget my shoes – come and spend a day in my head.
But with many rejecting the idea of God has come, the idea that matter – physical stuff – is all there is. And so that inner life…what is it?... continue reading

“Clear and easy to read.”

Clear and easy to read. The author is a neuroscientist and a Christian. She is very open about her Christian faith and the intersection between neuroscience and spirituality is a focus of the book. The book is intended for a general audience of any faith or none. The Christian faith is winsomely commended. Are mind, consciousness and brain activity the same thing? If my experiences of God could be monitored on a brain scan what would that say about me, God, my experiences? Are my beliefs just the result of firing neurons in my brain? Is my writing of this review and everything I'm thinking and typing just the inevitable outcome of a series of causes and effects or am I deciding it...??? All questions addressed in this book without giving you an actual headache - impressive stuff!