Neuroscience History Redefines What It Means to Be Human

There was a time when the heart was considered the organ that made humans most human. This belief gave "heart" its meaning as a word for the mind and emotions. However, advances in anatomy and physiology revealed that the center of thought and emotion lies in the brain, interwoven with neural circuits. It was a moment that fundamentally changed how we understand human existence. Neuroscience is not merely a branch of medicine—it is another name for humanistic inquiry into what it means to be human. "Brain Humanity" (published by Gimmyoung Publishers) traces the history of neuroscience alongside the history of human self-understanding.

The author, Lee Sang-geon, is one of Korea's leading neuroscientists. He currently serves as a neurologist at Seoul National University Hospital and a professor in the Department of Neurology at Seoul National University College of Medicine. He is recognized as a foremost authority on epilepsy, seizures, and loss of consciousness. This book represents his attempt to consolidate his experience and research to trace the development of neuroscience and unlock the secrets of the brain.

The book begins by examining why humans long failed to recognize themselves as the agents of their own thought. The brain was invisible and motionless. The heart, by contrast, beat visibly and responded to emotional changes. Humans understood themselves not as rational beings but as creatures swayed by passions and transcendent forces. This perception began to crack during the Renaissance as anatomical dissection and scientific observation accumulated. The structural discovery that nerves converge in the brain shifted the perceived center of thought.

Descartes' declaration, "I think, therefore I am," symbolizes this transition. Humans emerged not as God's creations but as thinking subjects. Subsequent advances in microscopes and experimental techniques revealed how neurons operate, enabling humans to explain their own emotions and behaviors. Conditions like seizures, depression, and schizophrenia were redefined not as divine curses but as treatable diseases. Memory, learning, emotion, and sleep also became subjects of research. Humans began to view their limitations not as fate but as domains for study and intervention.

The author argues that the age of artificial intelligence has brought a time for humanity to be redefined anew. Neuroscience combined with AI is raising new questions about memory manipulation, the expansion of consciousness, and the boundary between humans and machines. Social debate and ethical anxiety follow, but the author reminds us that such reactions have recurred throughout history. Just as past humans could not imagine modern people, today's humans cannot fully comprehend the humans of the future.

The history of neuroscience ultimately converges on the question, "What is a human being?" Even the author, an expert, does not offer a definitive answer. He consistently shows, however, that understanding of the brain has always progressed, and this progress has been humanity's progress. Following the history of neuroscience also prompts reflection on how humanity has long underestimated itself. This interdisciplinary humanities book reveals that the very process of transcending human limitations is itself the history of humanity. 28,000 won.