Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
==========================
Full Name and Common Aliases
--------------------------------
Vilayanur Subramaniam Ramachandran was a neuroscientist of Indian descent, commonly referred to as V.S. Ramachandran.
Birth and Death Dates
-------------------------
Born on May 9, 1951, in Mysore, India; passed away on December 7, 2023.
Nationality and Profession(s)
--------------------------------
Indian neuroscientist and professor of senses and perception at the University of California, San Diego.
Early Life and Background
-----------------------------
Growing up in a Tamil Brahmin family in southern India, Ramachandran's early life was marked by a fascination with the workings of the human mind. His father, a civil servant, encouraged his son's curiosity, introducing him to Western literature and philosophy at an early age. After completing his secondary education, Ramachandran enrolled in the University of Madras, where he studied English and botany before transferring to the University of Cambridge.
Major Accomplishments
-------------------------
Ramachandran's groundbreaking work in neuroscience has had a profound impact on our understanding of human perception and behavior. He is best known for his theories on synesthesia – a condition in which one sense is stimulated and another sense is experienced. His research, including the famous "mirror box" experiment, demonstrated that phantom limb sensations can be induced through tactile stimulation. This led to significant advances in our comprehension of the neural basis of consciousness.
Notable Works or Actions
-----------------------------
Throughout his career, Ramachandran published numerous papers and articles on various topics, including synesthesia, phantom limbs, and agnosia (a condition where a person loses their ability to recognize objects). His 1998 book, _Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind_, became an international bestseller. He also worked closely with artists, using his research as inspiration for creative collaborations.
Impact and Legacy
----------------------
Ramachandran's work has far-reaching implications for fields such as psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and art. His theories on synesthesia have been applied in various domains, from design to music composition. By shedding light on the intricacies of human perception and behavior, he has inspired a new generation of researchers, artists, and thinkers.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
------------------------------------------
V.S. Ramachandran's groundbreaking research and ability to bridge disciplines have made him an international authority in his field. His work not only expands our understanding of the human mind but also sparks curiosity about the intricate relationships between perception, cognition, and behavior. As a result, he is widely quoted and remembered for his thought-provoking insights into the mysteries of the human brain.
Quotes by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran's insights on:
If we knew about the real facts and statistics of mortality, we'd be terrified.
The boundary between neurology and psychiatry is becoming increasingly blurred, and it's only a matter of time before psychiatry becomes just another branch of neurology.
Science is like a love affair with nature; an elusive, tantalising mistress. It has all the turbulence, twists and turns of romantic love, but that's part of the game.
Think about what artists, novelists and poets have in common: the ability to engage in metaphorical thinking, linking seemingly unrelated ideas, such as, ‘It is the east, and Juliet is the Sun.’
If you’re a thinking person, the liver is interesting, but nothing is more intriguing than the brain.
People often ask how I got interested in the brain; my rhetorical answer is: ‘How can anyone NOT be interested in it?’ Everything you call ‘human nature’ and consciousness arises from it.
We are not angels, we are merely sophisticated apes. Yet we feel like angels trapped inside the bodies of beasts, craving transcendence and all the time trying to spread our wings and fly off, and it’s really a very odd predicament to be in, if you think about it.
You cant just take an image and randomly distort it and call it art – although many people in La Jolla where I come from do precisely that.
Without ducking responsibility, what’s wrong with medicine today is that it is predicated on providing treatment, not on reducing suffering. Not on solving problems.
Lofty questions about the mind are fascinating to ask, philosophers have been asking them for three millennia both in India where I am from and here in the West – but it is only in the brain that we can eventually hope to find the answers.