Who are your favorite authors?
I greatly admire working scientists who are also good writers. My passionate interest in the brain was stimulated by Steven Pinker's encyclopedic book, How The Mind Works. Antonio Damasio is an important leader in the field of neuroscience and is a wonderful writer. Richard Dawkins and E.O. Wilson are brilliant scientists whose writing is profoundly philosophical. Nobel Prize winner, Eric Kandell, writes beautifully on the brain, art, culture and history. I just enjoyed reading Anjan Chatterjee's new book on neuroaesthetics. I will read anything written by V.S. Ramachandran, Michael Gazzaniga and David Linden. Jared Diamond's book "The Third Chimpanzee" got me hooked on primate studies and I just loved his great book "Guns, Germs and Steel." I admire the writing of Jonah Lehrer. I would have to say that Matt Ridley is the science writer I most admire and wish to emulate. William James has been described as a scientist who writes like a poet. He is a delight to read.
In the realm of fiction, my favorite is probably Garbriel Garcia Marquez.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I do my best work in the morning and wake up eager to start writing. I use the discipline of writing to structure my learning and to challenge my own thinking. I can't imagine more compelling and fascinating subjects to explore than brain function and human behavior. Anticipating the first cup of coffee also helps.
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