Emotional Ignorance: Lost and found in the science of emotion

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It's not unusual for readers to say they have waited a long time for an author's book and that it was worth the wait. When we lose someone out of turn, like a spouse or child, this is disenfranchised grief, and people are much more uncomfortable with this type of loss. Exploring grief has opened up doors for understanding and making sense of our experience which led Burnett to unlikely emotional phases yielding intriguing insights.

It tackled the idea of emotions and cognition as being separate entities until, of course, we realize they are inextricably linked and dependent on each other. This book gives another perspective of emotional intelligence taking into account Burnett’s personal experiences, professional input as a neuroscientist, and profound insights into the grieving process to reveal how our emotions shape our identity. Take some time out with this brilliant book to acknowledge that without emotions we wouldn’t be able to grieve, regret, celebrate or love – or to put it simply – be wonderfully human ― Stylist --This text refers to the paperback edition. We often see emotions portrayed as the irrational counterpart to clear thinking, as if it were merely a weakness, perhaps even an unfortunate evolutionary relic that renders us helpless in the face of ruthless and conscious AI (maybe I’ve watched too much Scifi).

As someone who reads a lot of scientific literature, my bar is high for public science - and there is a very particular sweet spot that I look for, a balance between technicality and readability - that this one hit quite well. Emotions are an integral part of the human mind, identity, and capacity to exist as a thinking being. In Emotional Ignorance , Dean takes us on an incredible journey of discovery, stretching from the origins of life to the end of the universe. And might somebody have told the author „bacteria“ is the plural of „bacterium“ and it is therefore incorrect to speak of „so much bacteria“.

This experience has taught Burnett to not disregard or reject the emotions he’s feeling, as emotional pain is equivalent to pain caused by physical injury or illness. Very up-close and personal, this book examines the role of emotions in numerous facets of life, ranging from the most fundamental biological processes to cutting-edge technology.In Emotional Ignorance, Dean takes us on an incredible journey of discovery, stretching from the origins of life to the end of the universe. Dean uses his recent experience to describe his own profound emotions and thoughts and also references his much loved family. The author’s previous work has been full of his dry sense of humour and whilst that is present here (frequently in the footnotes) what really brings this book to life is how much of himself he puts into it. Understanding emotions and the broader role they play is crucial to an accurate and scientific understanding of how we think.