Jean-Pierre Changeux is an honorary professor at the Collège de France, a member of the Académie des Sciences, and one of the most eminent contemporary neuroscientists. He has authored numerous works: Raison et plaisir ("Reason and Pleasure") (1994, 15000 copies sold); Matière et pensée ("Matter and Thought") (1989, 31000 copies); La Nature et la Règle ("Nature and Control"), (1998, 31000 copies), L'Homme de vérité (The Man of Truth) (2002, 20000 copies) and Du vrai du beau du bien (From Truth to Beauty to Good) (2008, 15000 copies).

A new neurobiology of art

A masterpiece does not simply spring from the loins of Jupiter, as the Sistine Chapel shows: it can call for many years of reflection, of trial and error. This is an important area in current neurobiological research: understanding the neural mechanisms involved in the appreciation of the harmony of parts with the whole, in music as in painting.
In this book which follows Raison et Plaisir ("Reason and Pleasure"), Jean-Pierre Changeux combines his immense artistic culture and his knowledge of the most modern neuroscience techniques and sheds light on the creative process.