Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain written by David Eagleman is a truly revolutionary scientific endeavor. David Eagleman guides the reader through the coup d’etat of one’s own self, the dethronement of the consciousness from its believed rule of the mind. Incognito presents the vastness of the brain including its biological and evolutionary circuitry, in a way that demeans our consciousness so that it takes part in only a small portion of the brain’s inner-workings. Eagleman proposes that, “the conscious mind is not at the center of the action in the brain; instead, it is far out on a distant edge, hearing but whispers of the activity.”

David Eagleman explains that although the consciousness may no longer be as potent as prior belief assumed, its lack of potency is compensated for through the brain’s natural neural circuitry. The neural circuitry that is described is illustrated by scientific discoveries and experiments mentioned in the book, and is said to be the product of millions of years of evolution. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain delves into the complexity of the neural circuitry, and describes the impact of the chemical reactions and the biology of the brain. The biology of the brain is explained to have a major affect on the connections made in the brain; moreover, how these connections ultimately affect the behavior of a human being. David Eagleman perspicaciously correlates the behavior that one almost has no control over to crimes and the basis by which one should be chastised in a court of law.

Despite managing to assimilate experiments in the field of neuroscience into a dynamic book, the book may be simply too dynamic for some. Similar to a best friend having a convoluted personality that suggests different emotions, it gets tedious to try to read a book that is so tortuous and almost lacks a conclusion. Eagleman must have chemical balances in his brain that make him want to never be wrong. For example, Eagleman argues that humans may lack free will; furthermore, in the following chapter Eagleman acknowledges that free will could exist. This sort of writing makes the writer sound as though lacks confidence. A direct epitome of this inconclusiveness is apparent in Eagleman’s defense of his statement about his opinion on conscious connection to quantum mechanics: “To be clear, I’m not asserting there is a connection between quantum mechanics and consciousness. I am saying there could be a connection…” Also, Eagleman uses an analogy for almost every one of his timid propositions. Using too many analogies is analogous to the following analogy: it’s like using Protestants to argue in favor of the Catholic Church. However good the Protestants may do, their arguments will not share foundation completely with those of a Catholic, and their arguments can only find support based on their churches similarity to the Catholic Church. There will always be a gray area that separates the analogy from the real thing, which is similar to how there will always be different foundations that separate protestant viewpoints from the views of Catholics. Again, this may not be a good analogy as some are opposed to analogies. Thus, in Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain the surface of reality is skimmed as a bird skims waters, but doesn’t reach into the depths of the situation.
Notwithstanding that Eagleman may fail in administering lucid, concrete Weltanschauung to some, the book may also be very helpful to others. Those of open mind who share an interest in psychology or neuroscience would thoroughly enjoy this books factual information, and lawyers would find the theories based on the facts informative and thought provoking. Every book has flaws, but contrary to this book’s weaknesses, the end result of David Eagleman’s writing is a brilliant non-fiction book full of factual information intermingled with avant garde theories. It is sure to be one of the crowning achievements of David Eagleman’s successful career as a writer.