
What removing large chunks of brain taught me about selfhood
I’ve cut brains in half, excised tumours – even removed entire lobes. The illusion of the self and free will survives it all
by Theodore H Schwartz
Theodore H Schwartz MD is a neurosurgeon and the author of the book Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery (Dutton and OneWorld, 2024). He lives in New York City.