Chapter 1, page 3.
“
The story of the brain's separation from the body begin with Rene Descartes. The most influential philosopher of the seventeenth century, Descartes divided being into two distinct substances: a holy soul and a mortal carcass. The soul was the source of reason, science, and everything nice. Our flesh, on the other hand, was "clock-like," just a machine that bleeds. With this schism, Descartes condemned the body to a life of subservience, a power plant for the brain's light bulbs.
— Jonah Lehrer
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The story of the brain's separation from the body begin with Rene Descartes. The most influential philosopher of the seventeenth century, Descartes divided being into two distinct substances: a holy soul and a mortal carcass. The soul was the source of reason, science, and everything nice. Our flesh, on the other hand, was "clock-like," just a machine that bleeds. With this schism, Descartes condemned the body to a life of subservience, a power plant for the brain's light bulbs." in the context of "Chapter 1, page 3." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Jonah Lehrer" (Quotes, Proust Was a Neuroscientist (2007))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Jonah Lehrer
Jonah Lehrer (born June 25, 1981) is an American author and editor of Wired magazine, who writes on the topics of psychology, neuroscience, and the relationship between science and the humanities.
About Jonah Lehrer
Jonah Lehrer (born June 25, 1981) is an American author and editor of Wired magazine, who writes on the topics of psychology, neuroscience, and the relationship between science and the humanities.
View all quotes →