Chapter 7 Life After the Monarchy Summary and Analysis

Eagleman likens the discoveries of neuroscience that indicate the extent to which our unconscious minds control our behavior to the revolutionary discoveries of Galileo and Charles Darwin. Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter demonstrated that the Earth was not the center of the solar system. Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection suggested that humans were simply one more species among many that had evolved on the planet. In each case, what was once thought to be central was shown to be less so. He calls the resulting shifts in thinking "dethronements."

Eagleman argues that our understanding of our conscious minds and the source of our behavior must undergo a similar shift. We imagine that our conscious minds are at the center of our identity and self-image, but Eagleman hopes to have demonstrated...