Bison Library Bytes

Here’s a phrase I’m not sure I’ve heard before: “cognitive liberty.” We speak about other types of liberty often enough: freedom of speech and freedom of religion to name two. But what about “the right to self-determination over our brains and mental experiences” (Introduction, p. 8)? Before you think I’m going to tell you about a new science fiction novel we received (which I’m not), you should recognize that current advances in neurotechnology is making this a valid, indeed an urgent, concept for us to consider today. Nita A. Farahany’s 2023 book, The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology, discusses important questions such as the following pulled from the “Introduction”:

• Should we—or will we want to—directly track information gleaned from our own brains, or have that information filtered for us by a trusted intermediary instead, much as we count on medical doctors to make sense of an MRI or CT?
• … 
• Does freedom of thought protect us from government tracking our brains and mental processes? (Introduction, pp. 7-8)

The introduction alone is enough to make me wonder if we’re living in the stages leading up to some of our most popular dystopian stories. In fact, the author provides an example of an event reminiscent of The Minority Report. Neurotechnology is here to stay. In many ways it can provide needed assistance and improve lives.  Farahany wants us to think about how it will change us, our society, and what we can do “to protect our freedom of thought and rumination, mental privacy, and self-determination over our brains and mental experiences” as the technology continues to advance (Introduction, p. 11). These are important concepts for each of us to consider in our increasingly connected world.

The book is currently on the New Book display in the Opelika LRC. Come by and see some of the other interesting resources we’ve received!

Farahany, N. A. (2023). The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology. St. Martin’s Press. [RC 343 .F37 2023]

So, I may be biased, but I think we get some really interesting books in the library. We received some more last week and I confess, it was hard to pick one to highlight! There is the 15^th edition of The Copyright Handbook which, while maybe not quite so interesting, does include information on “the emerging rules around copyright and AI.” Very timely if you are doing any writing.

Then there is Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants by James Vincent. I certainly never gave too much thought to the “political consequences of measurement.” This looks like an interesting blend of “science and social history.” And, I learned what a “collop” is.

Finally, there is Great Short Works: A Year of Reading—Briefly by Kenneth C. Davis. This “guide to great short novels” has reminded me of some great short novels I’ve read and introduced me to some I’d like to read. Davis gives you the first few lines of the novel, a plot summary, a biographical sketch of the novel’s author, and some other things to read. 

Come see us in Opelika, and find out what other interesting titles we have!