Robert M. Young Online Writings
The Writings of Professor Robert M. Young
'The Functions of the Brain: Gall to Ferrier (1808-1886)' 116k
This is a highly-distilled version of the argument of my doctoral dissertation on the history of cerebral localization, drawing attention (to a degree not present in the dissertation or the book version) to the philosophical implications of the reigning approach in psychology and brain research. Though the title may appear to relate to obscure matters, the issues are central to the attempt to understand human nature by means of the methods and assumptions of natural science. It was published in Isis 59: 251-68, 1968.