I of the Vortex: From neurons to self by Rodolfo Llinás, MIT Press,
£16.95, ISBN 0262122332
BRAINS. What are they for? Prediction, according to Rodolfo Llinás, is
“the ultimate function of the brain”. An ability to predict dangerous events
obviously improves our chances of averting them. Prediction is also useful for
fine-tuning movements and saving energy. But when Llinás suggests that
predictive capacity is important to explain what he calls the “mindness state”
as well as the self and consciousness, it’s hard to tell where he’s going.
Llinás is known as a leading experimental scientist who has…
