40/40 Vision Lecture: Neurology and the Passion for Art

[Ilavenya]

Go to 3:13 to skip intro.

[imagineers0]

Love this topic. My mom saw auras all of her life. I don't know if she knew, but the specific colors she saw meant the same as what others see. 

[biologyfreak101]

@imagineers0 i don't understand what you mean, "they meant the same as what others see". do colors mean something?

[neurel111]

rib removal is a myth and has been shown to be wrong.

[vancity01]

i ma pot head :)

[yourtube20061]

nice talk, but isnt scientific dogma also a dogma ?

[seanchoq]

@yourtube20061 Not if it is empirical, then it is “24 Karat knowledge”. Dogma = established belief, not knowledge. The only way to find out if things are empirical is to hypothesize and experiment. Besides, in the scientific community, especially neuroscience, everything is disputable, even if you are pissing on someone else’s tenure.

[tchapps1]

That cube on the bottom left is freaking me out.

[tchapps1]

Man if I was synesthetic I would be tripping balls in math class.

[ruffad]

nice tie :)

[stonedrenched]

Jean Klein teaches that no work of art is "complete" until it is in the consciousness of the viewer/listener etc. The little person in there observing then is not actually 'in there' but is here everywhere always, only one of them for all of us so to speak. Besides, if we were separate from one another, what would possibly carry the message from artist to viewer - what is the medium and isn't that the only thing that actually is anyway?

(Ever see the figure 5 in Gold? Charles Demuth did.)

[Vinnypoo]

I wish I was synesthetic...

[Riversleigh1]

my kids better damn well sweat when they see me... I love these lectures...love...peace ..:-)

[sanjideman]

he would be great without the hindusm preach



[sanjideman]

he would be great without the hindusm preach

[ginsushark]

a scientist dude tries to use scientific theory to explain why he likes certain styles of art (abstracted figuratism esp from the sub continent). Its a bit too identity oriented/egocentric for my tastes but its not bad. spose this lecture is old - before data compression and recursive patterns became part of the standard explanaition of art appreciation.

[KateGladstone]

The "5"s in that triangle aren't "5"s, but "S"s; I, too, would have immediately seen the triangle if they had been proper "5"s.

[schr4nz]

This is great. Ramachandran is always a good laugh and also very informative.

[ace666999]

LOL MAN IF THIS GUY WAS AT OUR UNI I WOULD ACTUALLY COME IN !!

[ThomasKle]

Beautiful.

[Juefawn]

I still have never seen the hideous old hag

[Sabohaque]

3:13

[jackburtonfan]

Testicles

[ToListen]

@jackburtonfan I concur.

[BoStevoD]

I used to agree for the most part with his thesis, but having been introduced to the ideas of Freud and Lacan, I've found a big problem. Meaning for an animal is fixed, that much is true. The baby bird will peck at that stick, and, sure enough, slight variations on it. But a human's desire is a property of signification, of concepts pointing to things coming into being for the individual. Meaning for us is in flux, communal, and the object of that desire will only remain so if it is not held.

[screenflicker1]

@BoStevoD I don't get what you mean

[dirtydonki]

VS is a genius who is so approachable. It is a joy to have such a man of vision on planet Earth.

[fairiebee]

What a rare combination is manifested in this man, a formidable intellect, a passion for science, and the charming ability to stand before peers and students in his field of expertise and convey in a dynamic way, all of his knowledge and insight.

[TheGranti7a]

@WhatsTheMusicCalled: A detailed introduction on progressive research frames in accepted parameters, the credibility of information about to be presented. Suggestion: voluntary audience members learn how to be attentive recipients by observation; one way to accomplish this can be to listen first even to one's individual reactions.

Observing new information content as well as ones reactions, one learns something new not only about the information, rather also about oneself in discovery of it!

[vikashpillai]

jerk

[nivramstob]

I love his explicit honesty. He observes everything, but carefully considers proposed explanations and the reality. What he does educates us and challenges traditional understandings in favor of the truth.

[doriankilledsibyl]

I really didn't like this guy's approach. He's too crude in his humor and has that sort of male-bravado thing that I think a lot of women would find offensive. Why for his example at 7:00, does he need to reference a young man's sexual experience with his mother? I realize he's referencing Freud, but then he casually throws out the Monica Lewinsky too and bestiality. It's just so vulgar! How old is this lecture? It's just really unappealing to me, as a young woman.

[TheGranti7a]

@doriankilledsibyl: Bravo for voicing your opinion!

[screenflicker1]

@doriankilledsibyl proves yu're stupid. This has nothing to do with being derogatory toward woman. V.S is awesome.

[screenflicker1]

@doriankilledsibyl and thats all the shit you got from this enlightening lecture?

[doriankilledsibyl]

Look, when you are talking about art, you really do not need to revert to such jokes...they alienate your audience. I wish more profs felt this way - but I was not implying that all women felt this way. I can have my own opinion! And, P.S. when you take a sexuality course, I think that sort of discussion is inevitable.

[michalchik]

@doriankilledsibyl You are of course entitled to you own tastes. There are forms of erotica and sexual practices that I find disgusting but I don't look down on people who engage in them. I guess you are faced with a quandary. Most people find entertaining or interesting what you find disgusting. You'll find this pervasive in biology/neuroscience/psycholog­y because sexuality and human behavior are intrinsic parts of what it is to be human. I hope you find a way to cope.

[doriankilledsibyl]

@michalchik you know, it 's not like I'm crying myself to sleep at night. I just posted my reaction to a youtube video.

[etiennealive]

I remember the venus-statues found, from prehistoric Europe. What Ramachandran says must go way back to the roots of our excistence.

[etiennealive]

Very interesting !

[vkgoeswild]

@doriankilledsibyl real world must be quite a disgusting dirty place for you, I guess.

[michalchik]

@doriankilledsibyl Wow really? You really think most women would have a problem with this? Most of the women i know would think it was cool and would be offended by anyone suggesting that they should be offended by it just because they are women. Are you perhaps carrying life experience to this that jaundices your view? The human sexuality class that I went to was packed with women, taught by a woman, and went WAAAAAAY beyond this.

[Xenophanes21]

@doriankilledsibyl AHAHAHHAHA wow. Fact is, artists have been predominantly male; religions, philosophy and cultures have also been developed mostly by males. If you're going to study anything in the humanities, sexuality is going to come up. Your not forced to watch these things, but if you want to understand humanity you have to. What is wrong is if he dosent present the feminist perspective (which can be just as sexual). I dont know what class you are in, but you picked the credit...

[doriankilledsibyl]

@Xenophanes21 Yep, my fault, right? I'm taking Intro to Art. There's a way to be a male a teacher with humor that appeals to both genders.

[Xenophanes21]

@doriankilledsibyl you had the free choice of following an interest in Art (an incredibly gendered and male dominated discipline). Your clearely intelligent and you have a keen eye for what is called 'gendered discourse', but nothing is gained by saying this is grose and unappealing; every half wit academic knows there is a problem here. Take women studies insted of art, that way you'll be pissed off but your arguments will trump idiots who are stuck in 1950s ideology.

[doriankilledsibyl]

@Xenophanes21 Aw now look, that's not fair to art to label it as a male-dominate discipline. I can't accept that. You really feel that way? I deleted my first comment - and I see I didn't word my aggravations with this clearly enough, just off the top of my head I jotted "gross!" It is off-putting by my standards, I recognize that, but I just think there's a way for professors to make their lectures easily-accessible to all genders. I read (somewhere?) that the college classroom is 72% women now

[doriankilledsibyl]

@doriankilledsibyl And also! If you recognize that "that there is a problem here," then at least my comment allowed us all to talk about it, right? I mean, there's nothing wrong with me putting it out there... And discussion is healthy!

[Xenophanes21]

@doriankilledsibyl For sure, I think you may have misread my comments, which i cant blame you, There are not many straight male feminist out there. When I say male dominated discipline I am not saying it should be that way, just stating a fact about pretty much all western disciplines, sciences included, which have been developed throughout history by mostly white males. What we see here is a residue of a changing trend in domination. It applies to gender, race, sexuality and geography.

[Xenophanes21]

@doriankilledsibyl Yeah it IS male dominated. By this i dont mean that is should be; just that women were literally denied art training and those who got training did not get adequate recongition. Im not saying its a good thing, just how it HAS been (in the past) ;) I agree, shit needs to change (it is). And yeah, most universities now have on average more women than men, its a slim margin but its there. The real problem is the number of tenure track positions, that number still favours males.

[TheGranti7a]

@Xenophanes21: Art is classified as a male-dominated field by sheer reality that attention has historically and continues to be focused disproportionately on male art-making. Yet, women artists have been present from the beginning, working consistently outside of the limelight of patriarchal attention. A system of social structuring that distorts everyone; no pre-chosen gender qualifications required_ exactly what is distorted individually.

[Xenophanes21]

@TheGranti7a Yeah i agree with you, unfortunately this is true of almost all intelectual professions. Thats the point, I was just commenting on how outrageous it was to say that this guys analysis is too sexual or masculine (the person i was responding to before), its a fact that these things dominated the majority of art throughout history, however unfortunate it may be.

[iidontcareeee]

What's the name of the mental illness where unstable teenage boys drop random comments about rape on to videos that are actually legitimate? And, WHY DOESN'T YOU TUBE BLOCK THEM?????????? Let's see if this gets blocked: KILL ALL MUSLIMS!!!!!!!!! (OK, watching the clock...) RAPE IS A-OK WITH YOU TUBE, BUT ANY OTHER MENTION OF VIOLENCE IS HATE SPEECH? YOU TUBE, IF YOU PULL THIS COMMENT, THEN PULL ALL COMMENTS ABOUT RAPE, YOU HYPOCRITES!!!!!!!!!!!

[sonicboom2885]

brilliant!!!

[arjunps111]

This talk deserved a standing ovation! what a lousy audience!

[rabykim888]

I wish my college instructors were more like this guy.

[guitaro5000]

Is there a way to give someone Prosopagnosia, like especially if you just want to hit it and quit it and you don't want the girl to recognize and stalk you?

[iidontcareeee]

@guitaro5000 Stalk, hell. Any one you RAPE has the RIGHT to KILL YOU.

[guitaro5000]

@iidontcareeee Dude, I was just talking about a one night stand. Lighten up. It's the new millenium.

[iidontcareeee]

@guitaro5000 Check out this PATHETIC JOKE'S pages, people! Not only is this toked-out, on-public-assistance, illiterate VIRGIN incapable of getting a real job (or writing a complete sentence), he's never even seen a woman naked who didn't have a staple in her navel. Keep fantasizing about RAPE, LOSER!!

[guitaro5000]

@iidontcareeee Thanks for checking out my page! <3 <3 <3 Which video was your favorite?

[guitaro5000]

@iidontcareeee Oh, and my sincerest apologies if you've been raped. My comment was a parody of how some girls are just ready to have sex with 'no strings attached' but wind up developing an emotional bond anyway. It was insensitive and very very bad!

[TheXenon360]

Seek to 1:09:40

[TheUndertakerSaysRIP]

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[kennegun]

He's rolling is R's just to mess with us.

[FireInTheShadows]

Amazing doctor, learned a bit about him and saw some cases he was giving for neuropsycholgy lectures. Informative but doesn't overwhelm people who are just learning with tons of detail yet doesn't make it so simple it puts you to sleep.

[schogini]

An hour worth spent watching this... nice to see a person with passion, it is infective and feels good

[bodmondude]

I love how pronounces the R. RRrrrrr lol.

Amazing neuroscientist, however.

[elchafa]

that's an interesting point.

You know how japanese can't pronounce the L?

I have seen that americans can't pronounce the R like that, however us who speak spanish, for example, can. In fact we have 2 different R sounds: one for R and one for RR. The latter is the one you find funny.

Hope this was interesting for you to read. :)

[bodmondude]

Yeah you're right. I'm of Indian decent and I can do the RR too. It's just that I was born in Canada, so I can do both, unlike Dr. Rama who just does the RR for all Rs ;).

[elchafa]

I'm no scientist but I'd say it's not necessarily an ethnicity thing but in fact more of a cultural thing: I'm pretty sure you learned to speak hindi, probably durng your childhood, and that is what allows you to be able to make both sounds. Am I correct?

[bodmondude]

From University psychology classes, I've learned that children go through a "sensitive" phase during their language aquisition. Therefore they pick up language a lot faster than adults (obvious). As a child, I learned both Hindi and English, therefore I became fluent at both. Where as Rama, he learned Hindi or Tamil, and then sometime after his sensitive period, he learned english.

So you're right, It's just simple child hood language aquisition.

[billyg89]

yes! i love rama.

[s09302008]

The rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrasa of Rrrrrrrrrrrrrramachandran! =D

Terrific video. =)

[freddiestar]

I think he goes a long way to rationalise the experience of art, but stops short of describing the intuitive act of creation. it would be interesting to study the artists physical responses during the process of making art.

[endgammer]

The purpose of art is hyperbole? Come on...

[HeathMc]

He seems to reduce the value of art to the associations of reproduction and survival. This is a very reductionistic view of our experience of life.

He made some good points, but he still needs to do more research. The question at 1:17:30 discredits a lot of what he says in this talk. Everyone should love the Picasso piece if he is correct. But many people do not.

[endgammer]

Interesting but he contradicts himself too many for times and for a unified theory of art no less. Do I need to list them?

You dont need to be Freud to think that he's trying to defend bad Hindu art!

[omarivero]

@HeathMc I think pleasing and disgusting could be a better use of words to describe what Ramachandran means when he says everyone like picasso. I can LIKE one flower better than another but it does not mean that i am disgusted by the lesser one nor that im disgusted by flowers and it doesnt mean that everyone likes flowers but it means that an image of a plant does not conjure up disgust. So, images evoke emotions and what you are pointing to might be an opinion rather than a feeling.

[HeathMc]

@omarivero

Ok. What is the difference between an opinion and a feeling?

[omarivero]

good question.Opinions involve all or some of the following: thinking,knowledge,Ideation, comparison, evaluation. e.g I like Stravinsky better than Mozart.that's a comparative opinion. Opinions are different than facts. the sun is hot. that's not an opinion. On the other hand Feelings are more like sensations, emotions. for example anger. feelings are factual.one cannot argue with them. if you feel hungry it's not an idea or opinion it's a fact.now smell a turd.the feeling is disgust unarguably.

[Burdell22000]

People ask you to fundament the opinion

[joel230182]

OPINION>abstraction from your knowledge(mind), evaluation, not the experience itself.

FEELING>direct experience, perception, in present time(here and now)

[wphillips1918]

I took a state mandated art class in 8th grade and learned how to draw a typical street using vertical and horizontal lines so I TOTALLY understand this dude. Its refreshing to hear sombody who understands artist such as myself. I totally disagree with vichiousfishes about the chola bronze siva. I found it to be childish and self indulgent. Very primitive. Nothing inspiring whatever. As a matter of fact you should not be allowed to view art. It didnt look any thing like a real woman.

[jhuan0]

Why should it have to look like a real woman?

Its art.

[MassiveJungle]

lol I think you missed the entire point of the lecture, which notwithstanding the scientific explanations, which is fairly intuitive: art is not merely a photorealistic 'picture' of something - there is a degree of subjective interpretation of the subject on the part of the artist

[dirtyharree]

man all his speeches are exactly the same...his ted speech is pretty much word by word

[pin3appel]

this is awesome

[Kindred1a1]

I wish all teachers were this enthusiastic when they teach

[KeiSam7]

@Kindred1a1 not every teacher gets to teach such cool and interesting material :(

[Kindred1a1]

@KeiSam7

But if a teacher is teaching his material, his field of study, he should have a passion for it. Its the teacher's job to insight curiosity within the students.

[BoStevoD]

@KeiSam7 Depends on how the teacher interprets what they're teaching.

[vichiousfishes]

The choloa bronze siva is enchanting. You can't walk away from it when you see it in person.

[HighlyComposite]

Eventhough I am a math major, I have greatly enjoyed this lecture. It is quite interesting.

[stankballz71]

SO INSTEAD OF LEARNING SOMETHING ABOUT THE SUBJECT BE BEING ATTENTIVE.U GUYS WOULD RATHER NIT PICK AND YAMMER ON ABOUT THE MANS "ACCENT"? ..........shaking my head.

[stankballz71]

informative indeed.

[mrveejas]

quiet informative!!!

[greenleaf81]

Professor Accent is much so like a typical Tamilian from India.

His is not so prominent but my thambi brothers will agree that it is much similar to theirs.

Aaa I am glad I am not a victim of tamil accent :)

[collegev]

@greenleaf81 : hey greenleaf he has the tamilian accent, the professorship at UCSD and gets called the marco polo of the brain by richard dawkins. and you have a stupid comment on youtube. too bad eh?

[waln492]

i got to say, this gentleman's vocabulary is so precise its breathtaking for me as a literature major. and i agree with the other guy, hes comic hes passionate hes so much wow wow wow. i mean, i can follow his thoughts so well, i dont think anyone leaves his lectures with the wrong idea because he leads you down a path and everything is so clear.

[iam4friendz]

He is asset to the world !

[youngzone513]

i got this shit,,....wow.... im gon have to get checked out...

[KaligulaExMachina]

Absolutely Brilliant! Awe Inspiring! Ramachandran is a passionate man who is adorable while crude and flippant, and still remaining intellectual and always relevant. I wish more scientist were like this man, bold, unafraid to step out into uncharted waters, while self aware and able to laugh at himself. I see a little bit of Nataraja in him, or vice versa, however youd like to look at it.

[mmehdija]

excellent!

amazing content, and well-delivered too

[Mattprole]

"...and the chicks go crazy" Ha, this guy is so enthusiastic about this lecture, it's very encouraging.

[GabrielGZNH]

Proof that love does not exist... hahaha... Just kidding?

[qwe07]

Very informative and interesting! I would love to follow up on his theories. And not to nitpick, but "responses" is spelled incorrectly at 1:19:18. :P

[qwe07]

I took that seriously for a moment. I thought it was like a variation on British English in India. But then I remembered this was put together at UCSD! :P

[kiasmus]

I had the idea that the indians were cool and restrained but this guy is pure passion. His body language is hilarious. Had he not been a neurologist, he could have made a career as a comedian. Very interesting ideas delivered in an amazing way.

[tehmushroom]

Heh, I thought the western interpretation of indians was a bunch of blundering idiots answering telephone calls :P He's excellent though, very informative ..love the way his pride for indian art comes through, although he's american!

[waln492]

glad he broke that stereotype, tehmushroom

[waln492]

glad he broke that stereotype kiasmus.

[ciphernemo]

Awesome presentation! V.S. Ramachandra delivers it with very real knowledge and passion. It is a powerful and moving presentation for dry topics that would otherwise be difficult to digest. Amazing job. Thank you for posting it.

[Hosea22]

In the United Kingdom, contributions to the field of neurology stem from various professions; saliently, several biomedical research scientists are choosing to specialize in the technical/laboratory aspects of one of neurology's subdisciplines.

[Hosea22]

Physicians who specialize in neurology are called neurologists, and are trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat, neurological disorders. Pediatric neurologists treat neurological disease in children. Neurologists may also be involved in clinical research, clinical trials, as well as basic research and translational research.

[Hosea22]

Neurology (from Greek νεῦρον, neuron, "nerve"; and -λογία, -logia) is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue, such as muscle.

[arytmis]

you here to learn something? shut up for another five years, or at least til you learn how to tell a joke.

[ssarryo]

This doctor is funny.

[pimpingangsta7777]

Hey i like your videos. ALthough they are quite strange, i would suggest aiming even more surreal. I like them anyway. I will have some videos of my own coming around soon. Mine will be kind of like Jan svankmajers films. Stopmotion and all

[avelizosorio]

Bravo

[JonahTorn]

I wish I could find similiar informtaton pn poetry.

[JonahTorn]

I meant to type "information" not

informtaton. Sorry.

[JonahTorn]

I also meant to type the word "on" not pn.

[minikbalina]

lol

[Abhyu99]

Amasing lecture & priceless efford to understand Art on the base of Neurology.

[laxmighimire]

Really enjoyed the lecture!

Great combination of Art and science.

[toamaori]

thats my motto too 'turn the world on its head' its great for generating new ideas :)

[radurak]

Gotta love his r. Reminds me of that old english articulation and pronounciation. :)

The guy is interesting to listen to and you can see he's really into what he's doing.

[neuroboogie]

Eccezionale!