Robert Burton was chief of the Division of Neurology at UCSF Mount Zion Hospital. In addition to his clinical experience in neurology, he has written three novels and nonfiction works on the brain. Today we're going to talk about his book from 2008 on being certain,. believing you are right even when you're not.
Neurologist and author Robert Burton talks about his book, On Being Certain, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Burton explores our need for certainty and the challenge of being skeptical about what our brain tells us must be true. Where does what Burton calls "the feeling of knowing" come from? Why can memory lead us astray? Burton claims that our reaction to events emerges from competition among different parts of the brain operating below our level of awareness. The conversation includes a discussion of the experience of transcendence and the different ways humans come to that experience.