Can scientific inquiry into the brain and consciousness provide a foundation for objective human values and moral priorities? Roger Wolcott Sperry, a Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, utilizes his extensive research on split-brain patients and hemispheric specialization to argue that consciousness is an emergent property of brain activity. He posits that science, rather than being value-neutral, must actively participate in defining the moral and ethical frameworks that guide human society.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the philosophy of science, particularly for its attempt to bridge the gap between empirical neuroscience and humanistic values. Readers frequently note the intellectual density of the prose, which requires a foundational understanding of both biological science and philosophical discourse to fully grasp the author's arguments.