21st century phrenology
by William VambenepeThis is very much off-topic for this blog but if I read another article (like this one) that draws conclusions about the mind based on what areas of the brain light up under MRI, I am going to bang my head against the wall until my “anterior insula” switches places with my “ventromedial prefrontal cortex”. That should nicely mess up their models if I ever get in the MRI machine.
Brain science is in its early stages and there’s nothing wrong with that. Of course scientists need to progress step by step and for now MRI images might be the best we have. Go ahead and use the tool. But can we be spared statements about what area of the brain processes “soft-drink preferences”? These stories are so 19th century.
