Remember that politics, colonialism, imperialism and war also originate in the human brain. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran braincolonialismhuman Change image and share on social
Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have no idea why. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran ideaimportantmetaphor Change image and share on social
People often ask how I got interested in the brain; my rhetorical answer is: 'How can anyone NOT be interested in it?' Everything you call 'human nature' and consciousness arises from it. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran answerarisebrain Change image and share on social
Ask, 'How are we different from the great apes?' We have culture, we have civilisation, and we have language to be celebrated as part of being human. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran apecelebratecivilisation Change image and share on social
I was socially isolated as a kid. I had friends, but I wasn't very good at sports and that sort of thing so I became quite comfortable being by myself, exploring. The world was my private playground, and in it, I was supreme. Darwin, Faraday, Huxley and other great scientists were my companions. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran comfortablecompaniondarwin share on social
A culture without mythology is not really a civilisation. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran civilisationculturemythology Change image and share on social
If you're a thinking person, the liver is interesting, but nothing is more intriguing than the brain. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran braininterestintrigue Change image and share on social
We are not angels, we are merely sophisticated apes. Yet we feel like angels trapped inside the bodies of beasts, craving transcendence and all the time trying to spread our wings and fly off, and it's really a very odd predicament to be in, if you think about it. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran angelapebeast share on social
My mother was religious; she was knowledgeable about mythology and scriptures; she could tell the metaphysical nuances and make the story come to life with their deeper significance. The current generation is missing out on this. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran currentdeepgeneration share on social
Lofty questions about the mind are fascinating to ask, philosophers have been asking them for three millennia both in India where I am from and here in the West - but it is only in the brain that we can eventually hope to find the answers. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran answerbraineventually share on social