We Know It When We See It

November 25, 2019
Masland, a Harvard Medical School neuroscience professor, misses the mark in this attempt to explain vision’s neurobiological basis to a general audience. He does a very good job of explaining how perception broadly, including vision, works, and even those without any grounding in the fundamentals of biology will be able to gain an appreciation of how the nervous system interacts with the outside world and conveys information to the brain. What works less well is the complexity that intrudes as Masland moves beyond the basics (“If the axons of the retinal ganglion cells synapse upon the neurons of the lateral geniculate nucleus...”), making it unlikely that his target audience will stay with him. His forays into comparing the ways brains process visual stimuli with the ways in which artificial intelligence attempts to accomplish the same task are intriguing but abbreviated, as is his almost fleeting discussion of the nature of consciousness, in which he concludes, “In the end I fear that consciousness is unknowable.” Those looking for a scientific explanation of vision will find a useful primer, but those searching for answers to larger questions, such as the one posed by Masland’s subtitle, are likely to be disappointed.

January 1, 2020

Masland (neuroscience, Harvard Medical Sch.) here asks, "How do our brains perform object recognition?" In order to answer that question, one has to understand how vision works and also how the brain makes sense of the outside world. To that end, Masland explains in depth a great number of concepts, from the basic function of neurons and retinal ganglion cells to the theory of nerve nets within the brain. Masland's enthusiasm and love for the field of neuroscience are apparent throughout the text. Included are a plethora of interesting anecdotes gathered over a lifetime of scientific work. However, it does require stamina for the layperson to wade through the dense scientific explanations provided. While the question is simple--how do we know it when we see it?--it turns out the answer is complex. VERDICT Recommended only for those with a strong science background or the patience to unpack the richly detailed scientific explanations. For those readers, Masland provides a well-researched exploration of a fascinating question.--Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's Sch., Brooklyn

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