ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the identification of materialism as perhaps the most pervasive myth of neuroscientific culture and deals with an inquiry into the ways in which fiction plays a role in the transmission of scientific knowledge. It explores the interplay of fictions in scientific discourse generally, and focuses on the fictional dimension of neuroscience in particular. Neuropsychology has increasingly come to recognize the degree to which human behavior is grounded in interpersonal and social considerations. Far beyond their simplistic literal interpretations, myths serve as containers for human meaning, and can be seen coursing through the development of both individuals and societies. Humans have been transmitting information in narrative form for tens of thousands of years, whereas science has had only a few centuries to develop its communication techniques. Randy Olson argues, is a fundamental error, as it severely limits how scientists are able to effectively communicate their findings to humanity at large.
