Seven Deadly Sins - by Guy Leschziner (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Seven Deadly Sins will explore the underlying nature of the seven deadly sins, their neuroscientific and psychological basis, and their origin in our genes.

Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Envy. Lust. Anger. These are The Seven Deadly Sins, the vices of humankind that define immorality. But do these sins really represent moral failings, or are they simply important and useful biological functions that humans need to survive? Instead of being acts of immorality, are they really just a result of how our bodies, our psyches, and our brains in particular, are wired? In Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human, Guy Leschziner, a professor of neurology, dares to turn much of what society thinks of as morality on its head and to ask these controversial questions.

Leschziner takes readers on an exploration of the Seven Deadly Sins as he looks at their neuroscientific and psychological bases, their origin in our genes, and, crucially, how certain medical disorders may give rise to them. He introduces us to patients whose physical and psychological conditions have given rise to behaviours that have for centuries been labelled as "sin" and how these behaviours might actually be evolutionary imperatives that preserve the tribe and ensure the wellbeing of our societies. In Seven Deadly Sins, a book certain to cause debate and raise controversy, Guy Leschziner, a writer who has explored the mysteries of our sleeping brains and the odd crossed wires of our five senses, asks whether these traits truly represent sin, or simply reflect our intrinsic drive to survive and thrive.

Review Quotes

Praise for Seven Deadly Sins:

"A captivating examination of the neurological basis for 'bad' behaviour raises questions about the existence of free will...The author's writing is crisp, clear and artful as he guides readers through decades of neurological research." - Sarah Manning Peskin in Nature

"Replete with fascinating forays into neurology, morality, and pathology, this is a captivating glimpse at the mysteries of the mind." - Publisher's Weekly

"This book is absolutely fascinating and has the power to change the way you look at the world." - Steven Bartlett, Diary of a CEO

"Thought-provoking, fascinating, compelling - Leschziner delves into the psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience of harmful behaviours and asks: can we ever really be free to choose how we behave. Leschziner, with his patients, casts light on the complexity of human psychology, opening up a perspective on morality, guilt, free will and forgiveness. Leschziner's thesis is compelling: if we can understand ourselves better, and particularly the darker aspects of our psychology, we can hope to make the world a better place."
- Professor Alice Roberts, anatomist and anthropologist, author and broadcaster

"A riveting exploration of the science behind why humans engage in behaviour that harms themselves and others." - Jonathan Kennedy, author of Pathogenesis

"The seven deadly sins have long preoccupied poets, essayists and noble minds. For Milton, the Fall itself was due to the serpent's "guile, stirred up with envy and revenge". For Samuel Johnson, "pride, which produces quickness of resentment", needed to be extirpated by charity. But no writer, to my knowledge, has previously brought to this subject the insights of modern science. The evidence that all of human cognition comes down to the action of neurons and synapses within the brain is compelling yet we hold fast to an apparent need to believe we have choice and free will. Guy Leschziner has written a masterly, original and highly accessible account of the neurological origins of these perennial temptations, with ample case studies. His conclusion - that the "sins" are integral to our humanity, yet need to be tempered by it - is wise and compassionate, and his route to is replete with fascinating detail." - Oliver Kamm, leader writer for The Times and author of Mending the Mind: The Art and Science of Overcoming Clinical Depression

"The heir to Oliver Sacks" - David Baddiel, author and broadcaster

Praise for The Man Who Tasted Words:

"In vivid stories of patient maladies that affect our very human sensations of sight, sound, smell, touch and pain, Leschziner has deeply explored the sensory experiences that bombard every moment of our lives but of which we are barely aware. What a terrific melding of brain science with thoughtful ideas on our window to the outside world."
--Allan Ropper, M.D., author of Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole and How the Brain Lost Its Mind

"A truly astonishing book--from the story of the man who tasted words to that of Paul who could pull out his own teeth and break his legs yet feel no pain. These are beautifully and engagingly written stories of how our senses tell us about the reality of the world--or, sometimes, don't."
--Gavin Esler, author of How Britain Ends

"If we have all our senses intact, we see, taste, hear, touch, and smell every day and probably think little about the complex systems that make it all possible and the many things science still ignores about those processes. This book changes that and forces readers to question the "reality" they have created, and that makes it the kind of book that has a lasting impact."
--NPR.org

"A fascinating deep dive into the functions and malfunctions of the five senses . . . packed with insights."
--Publishers Weekly

"Vibrant with personality and full of wonder. Prof. Leschziner takes us through an exploration of our senses, making us question the nature of our reality and how we interpret the world around us. It is a profound, entertaining and quite exceptional book."
--Dr. Alastair Santhouse, psychiatrist and author of Head First

"Stories of people who experience the world differently show us what it means to be human. This is a deeply moving and powerful book, full of provocative ideas about human perception and the way we construct reality."
--Daniel M. Davis, author of The Secret Body and The Beautiful Cure

"From the opening paragraph, I was spellbound, entranced. Through real stories about what happens when our fragile perception of the world around us and within us is severed, Guy Leschziner connects us back to our senses."
--Professor Alice Roberts, broadcaster, author, anatomist and anthropologist

"An important, fascinating and disturbing book. Words will never taste the same again!"
--John Humphrys, journalist and broadcaster

About the Author

DR. GUY LESCHZINER is a neurologist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in London, where he leads the Sleep Disorders Centre, one of the largest sleep services in Europe, and professor of neurology at King's College London. Alongside his clinical work, he is the presenter of the "Mysteries of Sleep" and "The Senses" series on BBC Radio 4 and the is editor of the forthcoming Oxford Specialist Handbook of Sleep Medicine (OUP). He is the author of The Nocturnal Brain and The Man Who Tasted Words.