48 pages • 1 hour read
António R. DamásioDescartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1994A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Key Figures
Antonio Damasio
Antonio Damasio is the David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, the Director of the Brain and Creativity Institute, and an adjunct professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and at the University of Iowa. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S). In addition, he is a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA). Damasio is Portuguese-American and has published works in both languages. He graduated from the University of Lisbon in 1974 and holds several Honorary Doctorates. He is married to neuroscientist Hanna Damasio, whose research on Phineas Gage features prominently in the opening section of Descartes’ Error.
Damasio’s discovery of the connection between brain processes, decision-making, and emotions has greatly influenced the scientific world. His research has received continuous funding from the Federal government for 30 years. Descartes’ Error is his first novel-length publication. Although written for a lay audience, it received critical acclaim among experts in the field of Neuroscience. Damasio has since published four other books on neurology, emotion, psychology, and culture.
Phineas P. Gage
Phineas Gage (1823-1860) was a railroad construction supervisor famous for being pierced vertically from the cheek to the left frontal lobe of the brain by a tampering iron bar in a blasting accident. The media have covered his subsequent change in personality and discussions on cerebral localization, a theory which argued that certain areas of the brain controlled specific aspects of human cognition and locomotion. At the time, this area of research on human anatomy was still under scientific investigation; Gage’s accident was so popular that it spurred speculation among both neuroscientists and lay audiences. His case is part of most introductory courses to psychology and neurology. In addition, Damasio uses it as a gateway to discuss his somatic-marker theory. Gage’s accident hinted at the interconnectedness of the brain, emotions, rationality, and decision-making.
Gage was born the first of five children in New Hampshire. Accounts of him before his incident are scarce. His friend and physician Dr. John Harlow recounted Gage’s earlier years as a healthy and polite individual to highlight his drastic change in personality since the incident. After experiencing significant damage to the left frontal lobe of his brain and recovering from the subsequent infection to his wound, Gage could no longer observe appropriate social conduct and was let go from work. He had a brief career as a circus attraction and in his final years moved back to live with his mother and sister. He died of a prolonged epilepsy attack. His skull is currently in the possession of the Warren Anatomical Museum at Harvard.
Elliot
Elliot is an alias for an anonymous patient who was specially referred to Damasio. In his thirties, he had a brain tumor that damaged his prefrontal cortex. After a successful surgery, his personality changed dramatically even though his intelligence was unaffected. Damasio refers to Elliot as a “modern” Phineas Gage because his reasoning seems perfectly sound, but he could no longer make advantageous decisions in life. He is part of what Damasio calls the “Phineas Gage matrix.”
Before the illness, Elliot was a responsible father and husband who held a steady job. His professional and social status were enviable. However, after the surgery, which removed both the tumor and some tissue in the prefrontal area that were irrevocably damaged by the illness, Elliot became incapable of holding a schedule or completing tasks in time. His employer dismissed him, and he was subsequently unable to hold regular employment. He developed a collecting habit and made terrible business ventures despite warnings from trusted friends and family. His family could not understand the changes in him, and his first marriage therefore ended in a divorce. Soon thereafter, his second marriage failed.
Despite his poor decision-making, Elliot performed exceedingly well in personality and intelligence tests. The only change in him was his incapacity to feel emotions. Damasio uses Elliot’s example to prove the limits of pure reason. Without the presence of emotions to act as an arbiter, decision-making becomes an endless and fruitless task of weighing cost and benefits, one that cannot possibly succeed within limited time frames. In addition, Elliot’s case demonstrates how invisible illnesses can compromise individuality yet be dismissed by society due to prejudice. Despite Elliot’s no longer being autonomous, authorities initially denied him disability benefits because his mental faculties seemed intact.
