Chapter 15 (Metaphors We Kill By) was a relatively easy chapter for me to both read and understand. I learned that although we encounter metaphors daily, they are relatively new to us as a species evolutionarily speaking. Because of this, we do have trouble some identifying metaphors. I learned that there is an association between cleanliness and organization and feeling good about something, and filth and chaos having an association with being bad. The author made a remark that doing something simple like cleaning your home or doing your laundry can be incredibly relaxing when the rest of your life is a mess, and I very much related to this. I feel very good after completing a chore or cleaning up, and when my home is a mess, I very much feel unhappy and indeed, dirty. I then learned about how even touch can influence how we perceive something. In studies, when subjects were led to interact with something pleasant, an activity they were directed to afterwards was described in a positive manner. When subjects had to interact with something unpleasant, the following activity was later recounted in a not so positive way.
Chapter 16 (Biology, the Criminal Justice System, and (Oh, Why Not?) Free Will) discusses if we have total free will, no free will, something in between the two, the biology behind it, and how neuroscience is being used in the courtroom. There are a lot of topics in this chapter that are debatable, controversial, and philosophical. Does having brain damage impair your ability to make decisions? If so, should this disability excuse you from a crime you committed, or should you be condemned the same as a person with a healthy brain because there are others with your same disability who have never committed a crime? How do we make these types of decisions? We cannot base decisions in criminal cases, or in any type of situation really, on only one factor. We are reminded of all the other chapters read prior to this, our behaviors are a product of our biology, both our pre- and post-natal environments, the society we live in, memories, outside stimuli, whether or not our brain is fully developed, the list goes on and on. This was one of my favorite chapters, and while I’m not sure if I would read this entire book again, I would definitely reread this chapter.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 