Embracing the Wide Sky: A tour across the horizons of the mind: A tour across the horizons of the human mind

Embracing the Wide Sky: A tour across the horizons of the mind: A tour across the horizons of the human mind

by Daniel Tammet (Author)

Synopsis

Owner of the most remarkable mind on the planet, (according to the US's Entertainment Weekly) Daniel Tammet captivated readers and won worldwide critical acclaim with the 2006 Sunday Times bestselling memoir, Born On A Blue Day, and its vivid depiction of a life with autistic savant syndrome. In his fascinating new book, he writes with characteristic clarity and personal awareness as he sheds light on the mysteries of savants' incredible mental abilities, and our own. Tammet explains that the differences between savant and non-savant minds have been exaggerated; his astonishing capacities in memory, math and language are neither due to a cerebral supercomputer nor any genetic quirk, but are rather the results of a highly rich and complex associative form of thinking and imagination. Autistic thought, he argues, is an extreme variation of a kind that we all do, from daydreaming to the use of puns and metaphors. Embracing the Wide Sky combines meticulous scientific research with Tammet's detailed descriptions of how his mind works to demonstrate the immense potential within us all. He explains how our natural intuitions can help us to learn a foreign language, why his memories are like symphonies, and what numbers and giraffes have in common. We also discover why there is more to intelligence than IQ, how optical illusions fool our brains, and why too much information can make you dumb. Many readers will be particularly intrigued by Tammet's original ideas concerning the genesis of genius and exceptional creativity. He illustrates his arguments with examples as diverse as the private languages of twins, the compositions of poets with autism, and the breakthroughs, and breakdowns, of some of history's greatest minds. Embracing the Wide Sky is a unique and brilliantly imaginative portrait of how we think, learn, remember and create, brimming with personal insights and anecdotes, and explanations of the most up-to-date, mind-bending discoveries from fields ranging from neuroscience to psychology and linguistics. This is a profound and provocative book that will transform our understanding and respect for every kind of mind.

$3.25

Save:$18.09 (85%)

Quantity

2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Edition: First British Edition-Later Print Run
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 22 Jan 2009

ISBN 10: 0340961325
ISBN 13: 9780340961322

Media Reviews
'Entertaining and informative about an impressive range of subjects ... EMBRACING THE WIDE SKY is fun and inspirational' -- FT Weekend 'Packed with his clear summaries of fascinating experiments ... Recent debate has bumped up this book from delightful to vital' -- Daily Telegraph 'What's remarkable is that Tammet's many wanderings always seem measured and logical... truly fascinating.' -- Guardian 'The book is full of information such as this, packed with his [Tammet's] clear summaries of fascinating experiments.' -- Sydney Morning Herald 'Far from a one-dimensional prodigy, his is a rich multi-textured intelligence. A beautiful mind.' -- Scotsman Magazine
Author Bio
Daniel Tammet is a writer, linguist and educator. A 2007 poll of 4,000 Britons named him as one of the world's 100 living geniuses . His website company, Optimnem, has provided foreign language instruction to thousands around the globe. His last book, the Sunday Times bestseller Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant, has been translated into 18 languages. He lives in Avignon, in the south of France.