Analysis on “the Brain on Trial”

Analysis on “The Brain On Trial”

            The way the brain works has been a mystery for about as long as humans have been walking the earth.  Are our wants and desires based on a human’s actual choice to want or are they based solely on the chemicals which are in the brain? Many people disagree on the subject of how the brain allows living things to make decisions, and whether it actually does or not. David Eagleman, neuroscientist, and author of “The Brain on Trial” explains his feelings and knowledge on the topic, bringing up the idea of whether or not humans have the capacity to make their own choices. In the article, Eagleman discusses the concept of free will and how that relates to our justice system.

        Eagleman explains how medical problems, such as tumors can also have a very large effect in the way a person may behave. Some tumors affect a region of the brain called the amygdala, for example. This part of the brain is involved with emotional regulation, focusing mainly on fear and aggression. When this part of the brain is messed with, it can cause people to act in ways which are completely uncharacteristic of themselves.  He also talks about how tumors in the pre-frontal cortex have been known to causes people to have pedophilic or sexually deviant urges. When the tumors are removed, these urges and behaviors seem to go away, which supports the idea that a problem in a person’s brain is the cause of many crimes, not the actual person themselves.

Eagleman begins the paper with a story about a man who seemed perfectly normal, but then went on a killing spree before committing suicide. It was later found that this man had a tumor growing in his amygdala. With this example, Eagleman not only gives the reader factual support to back up his claims on the influence of chemicals on the brain but also sets a more serious and factual tone for his paper.

Eagleman also gives the example of a man, who began to take part in pedophilic activities and...