Unraveling: Remaking Personhood in a Neurodiverse Age

Unraveling is a book that challenges the dominant thinking about personhood by decentering the brain and exposing ableist biases. It proposes a novel cybernetic theory of subjectivity in which the nervous system is connected to the world it inhabits, focusing on concepts such as animation, modularity, and facilitation. The book argues for a radical antinormative bioethics that shifts the discourse on neurological disorders from "quality of life" to develop an inclusive model of personhood that honors disability experiences and reconceptualizes the category of the human in all of its social, technological, and environmental contexts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2020
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Rewritten text:

In the 20th century, neuroscience established the brain as the fundamental source of consciousness, self, identity, individuality, and even life itself, obscuring the essential connections between bodies and the worlds they inhabit. In his book, Unraveling, Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer challenges this dominant narrative by centering the brain and exposing the ableist biases embedded in the prevailing understanding of personhood.

Unraveling offers a groundbreaking cybernetic theory of subjectivity that posits the nervous system as intimately interconnected with the world it inhabits, transcending traditional neuroscientific, symbolic, and materialist approaches to the self. Instead, it focuses on concepts such as animation, modularity, and facilitation, reimagining modes of subjectivity through experiences with communication, caregiving, and the complexities of everyday life.

Through close readings of memoirs by individuals who have lost their hearing or developed trauma-induced aphasia, as well as family members of individuals diagnosed as autistic, Unraveling offers a radical rethinking of subjectivity through the lens of disability experiences. These texts challenge prevailing notions of personhood by exploring the complexities of communication, caregiving, and the social, technological, and environmental contexts in which individuals with neurological disorders navigate.

In advocating for a radical antinormative bioethics, Unraveling shifts the discourse on neurological disorders away from value-laden concepts such as "quality of life" and towards developing an inclusive model of personhood that honors disability experiences. It reconceptualizes the category of the human in all its social, technological, and environmental dimensions, recognizing the inherent value and dignity of every individual, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.

By unraveling the biases and limitations imposed by the dominant neuroscientific narrative, Unraveling offers a path towards a more inclusive and equitable society that recognizes the full spectrum of human experiences and recognizes the inherent interdependence between bodies and the worlds they inhabit.

Weight: 464g
Dimension: 141 x 216 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517909147