Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind

Embracing the Wide Skyis a new book by theNew York Timesbestselling author ofBorn on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant. Here, Daniel takes us not only into his life as an autistic savant, but also into the workings of his mind. Having one of the world's most examined brains, and having been the subject of leading neuroscientists in the U.S. and the UK, he is particularly equipped to explain what science has learned about him and about all of our brains. He explains how he masters languages, math and memorization, demonstrating in the process the immense potential that is within us all.Drawing on his personal experience in fascinating and profound ways, Daniel shows that the deepest secrets of the brain may be hidden in plain sight. His tour across the horizons of the mind will fascinate and instruct and open our eyes to the beauty found in every kind of mind.1. Tammet states that one of his intentions in writingEmbracing the Wide Skyis to show that the thinking processes of geniuses and autistic savants is not so different from everyone else and that "anyone can learn from them" (Pg. 9). Do you think he has successfully shown this? Why or why not? What are some of the things that you learned, which if applied might enhance your own mental performance?2. Tammet hopes to alter our perceptions about the nature of autistic savants. He states that "even to this day autistic savants are too often viewed as robots, or computers, freaks, or even supernaturally endowed..." (pg. 335). What were your perceptions of autism and savants before reading his book, and after? What were you most surprised to learn?3. Tammet is eager to debunk the common analogy of the "brain as computer" (pg. 39). He writes that, "computers may crunch numbers but I dance with them" (pg. 38). In what other ways is the human brain more powerful in solving problems than the "brute calculating force" of the computer? What abilities do humans have which computers cannot replicate?4. InEmbracing the Wide Sky, Tammet examines "intelligence." He writes that his own behavior as a child was often "limited, repetitive, and anti-social -- far from what most people would consider intelligent" (pg. 50). Despite this, his IQ was high enough to join Mensa, an organization which accepts only those with an IQ score in the top 2% of the population. What does this say about what constitutes our notions of intelligence?5. Although Tammet scored high on IQ tests, he is nevertheless dubious of testing for intelligence. Learning what you did about the history of measuring intelligence, why might he feel this way?6. Since its inception, the IQ test has been a source of controversy. Discuss how the test has been and can be used as a basis for discrimination. What do people in favor of the test argue? Why do others, Binet included, argue against using the test as a way to measure intelligence? Finally, in light of so much debate and what we have since learned about "intelligence," why do you think the IQ test is still so widely used? What are the benefits of knowing one's IQ, and what may be the detriment?7. Genius is another concept of intelligence that Tammet examines, particularly with regards to whether it is a product of "nature or nurture." Discuss and find examples that support the idea that genius is "nature" and those which support that it is "nurture." What does each interpretation imply? How, in fact, does one define genius? As far as Tammet's own development goes, would he attribute genius to nature or nurture or something else entirely? What else might account for great achievement?8. Associative thinking characterizes not only how Tammet and other savants think, but also how the minds of great creative thinkers and artists work. How would you describe associative thinking? What are some examples of how Tammet uses this in his work with both numbers and languages, two areas where he isTammet, Daniel is the author of 'Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind', published 2009 under ISBN 9781416569695 and ISBN 1416569693.