My debt to colleagues, family, and institutions continues to grow with every book I write. In this case, the University of Edinburgh and the Gifford Lecture series served as the catalyst. I was humbled by the invitation and exhilarated by the challenge to give a series of lectures over two weeks in the fall of 2009. My goal was to articulate what I thought neuroscience has taught us about some of the great philosophical issues of life and in particular what it has taught us about being held responsible for our actions. Lots of people want to know about this, including, to my surprise, Charlotte, my wife; my kids, Marin, Anne, Francesca, and Zachary; my son-in-law, Chris; and my sister, Rebecca. They all showed up in Edinburgh, rented an apartment, and held my feet to the fire. It was a magnificent time, or so they tell me. Needless to say I was anguishing over the lectures.
Of course, in the large scheme of things, lecturing is the easy part. While it does prompt one to pull their thoughts together, writing out one’s thoughts is another matter. Once again, I have been aided by many people. My sister, Rebecca, has become indispensible. Her editorial hand and wit has broadened my own propensity for the conversational approach to communicating. I can’t thank her enough. My deep gratitude also goes to Jane Nevins, my friend and colleague from the Dana Foundation. Her razor eye and firm editing is second to none. She leaves your style alone and only comes after you when you are dead wrong. That happens too frequently for my taste, but I learn every time.
Thanking all my professional colleagues would be impossible. Over the years I have been inspired by many, starting with my mentor, Roger Sperry, perhaps the greatest brain scientist who ever lived. One can also see from the perspective in this book I have been heavily influenced by my many graduate and postdoctoral students. They are as much a part of this research and perspective as I am. There have also been some giants in the field such as Leon Festinger, George Miller, and David Premack, who have tried their best to make me better than I am. Former Gifford Lecturer Donald Mackay did the same. So too for Michael Posner, Steven Hillyard, Leo Chalupa, Floyd Bloom, Emilio Bizzi, Marc Raichle, Scott Grafton, Endel Tulving, Steve Pinker, and many, many more. It has been a rich life. Special thanks also to Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Michael Posner for their critique of this manuscript, and to John Doyle at Caltech for his reading and endless insights as to where the field of mind/brain research must go in the future. I started my career at Caltech, and it is gratifying to be back knocking at their door to learn more.