Royal Society Science Book Prize Winner

The Making of Memory

by Steven Rose

Summary

A neurobiologist's account of how memory is encoded, stored, and retrieved in the brain, pitched at thoughtful general readers. Rose weaves laboratory work on chicks and molecules together with reflections on personal recollection, arguing that memory is a dynamic biological process rather than a fixed recording. The book emphasises the brain's plasticity and resists reductionist views that ignore experience and context.

Historical Context & Significance

Rose was a critic of genetic determinism, emphasizing the "plasticity" of the brain and how it is constantly reshaped by the environment.