Book Review of Susan Greenfield's 'Mind Change: How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Mark On Our Brains'

摘要

This is a review of Susan Greenfield's 2015 book 'Mind Change: How DigitalTechnologies Are Leaving Their Mark On Our Brains'. Greenfield is aneuroscientist and a member of the UK House of Lords, who argues that digitaltechnologies are changing the human environment "in an unprecedented way," andthat by adapting to this environment, "the brain may also be changing in anunprecedented way." The book and its author have created a surprising amount ofcontroversy. I discuss both Greenfield's book and a prominent critique by Bellet al. (2015). The exchange points to some flaws in Greenfield's argument andrepresents an interesting debate about the public role of scientists, but itdoes not undermine the value of the book as a springboard for discussions aboutpossible policies and future research.