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Semir Zeki

Semir Zeki Books

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“Fa parte della nostra natura biologica innamorarci, e di solito lo facciamo persino con la persona più improbabile o magari meno socialmente accettabile. La gente penserà magari che il nostro amato è pieno di difetti, ma a noi sembra perfetto. Questa sospensione del giudizio nelle faccende di cuore è comune al punto che non è irragionevole ipotizzare che abbia un solido fondamento neurobiologico. Sebbene l'amore appaia a volte nomade e irrazionale, ci sono validi e razionali fondamenti biologici di questa irrazionalità. […] Combattere contro l'amore vuol dire combattere contro la biologia, una battaglia da cui a lungo termine nessuno è uscito vincitore. Resistere all'amore è vano, come molti innamorati hanno scoperto. Le barriere che erigiamo contro di esso non hanno mai sradicato il sentimento, come hanno scoperto leader religiosi e famiglie ortodosse di ogni fede quando hanno voluto impedire ai figli di formare legami disapprovati.”

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Book:Splendori e miserie del cervello
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“Just let the artist sign an empty canvas or a frame, with the inscription, 'I had such and such a concept in mind' for this work. The artist then need not bother with producing the work, and therefore need not be worried about being dis-satisfied. All he or she needs to do is to sell it to a collector. The collector will have the guarantee that the artist thought about the work, even if momentarily, and therefore be satisfied.”

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Author:Semir Zeki
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“Laughter is very infectious, and why it should be so is a most interesting neurological problem. But it also has other, more physiological, benefits. Apparently it boosts the immune system, reduces stress hormones, massages the heart and diaphragm and engenders a 'feel good' factor.”

FeelsShouldHeartProblemInterestingHumourBenefitsLaughterStressFeel GoodFactorsMost InterestingImmuneHormonesBoostMassageImmune SystemPhysiologicalReduce Stress
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“Most artists, or at least most of the ones I know, deny having a philosophical outlook that they try to translate into their works. Some had thought of the work of Cezanne and others as being a 'painted epistemology.' But Cezanne himself denied this and Daniel-Henri Kahnwiler, the art critic and art dealer, insisted that none of the many painters he had known had a philosophical culture.”

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Author:Semir Zeki
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“No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by me. But it would be quite another if the empty canvas were signed by a great artist. I would be surprised if an empty canvas by Picasso or Matisse signed and inscribed with the words, 'I wanted to paint such and such on this canvas, but did not do so,' would not fetch thousands... After all, with an empty canvas, the possibilities are limitless, and so perhaps is the cash.”

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Author:Semir Zeki
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“I view all art as an effort to translate brain concepts into a work. These brain concepts are synthetic ones - the result of many experiences. But a single work of art, or even a series of works, more often than not cannot translate these synthetic concepts adequately. Yves Saint Laurent once said that he suffered greatly when creating. He is not alone in that. Most artists do the same and say as much.”

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Author:Semir Zeki
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