Antonio Damasio
Neuroscientist and professor
Antonio Damasio is a Portuguese neuroscientist who studies how emotion shapes decisions and social life. He wrote Descartes’ Error and The Strange Order of Things.
2 summaries 45 min of listening
Portuguese Born 1944 in Lisbon, Portugal
Influenced by Baruch Spinoza, René Descartes
About Antonio Damasio
Antonio Damasio was born in Lisbon in 1944 and studied medicine at the University of Lisbon. He later moved to the United States for research in behavioral neurology in Boston, and went on to chair the neurology department at the University of Iowa for 20 years. At the University of Southern California he holds the David Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience, teaches across psychology, philosophy and neurology, and directs the Brain and Creativity Institute. His research has shown that emotions are essential to how people make decisions and function socially. He also formulated the somatic markers hypothesis. His 1994 book Descartes’ Error has been translated into over 30 languages. Later books include The Strange Order of Things. His honors include the Prince of Asturias Award in Science and Technology and the Grawemeyer Award.