（美）罗伯特•伯顿

耶鲁大学及加州大学旧金山医院的双料高材生。33岁成为加州大学锡安山医院最年轻有为的神经科主任。他擅长把尖端神经科学、实验数据和趣闻轶事相结合，提出极具挑战性、开创性的观点。

You recognize when you know something for certain, right? You "know" the sky is blue, or that the traffic light had turned green, or where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001--you know these things, well, because you just do.In "On Being Certain," neurologist Robert Burton challenges the notions of how we think about what we know. He shows that the feeling of certainty we have when we "know" something comes from sources beyond our control and knowledge. In fact, certainty is a mental sensation, rather than evidence of fact. Because this "feeling of knowing" seems like confirmation of knowledge, we tend to think of it as a product of reason. But an increasing body of evidence suggests that feelings such as certainty stem from primitive areas of the brain, and are independent of active, conscious reflection and reasoning. The feeling of knowing happens to us; we cannot make it happen.Bringing together cutting edge neuroscience, experimental data, and fascinating anecdotes, Robert Burton explores the inconsistent and sometimes paradoxical relationship between our thoughts and what we actually know. Provocative and groundbreaking, "On Being Certain," will challenge what you know (or think you know) about the mind, knowledge, and reason.