IU Germanic Studies professor Fritz Breithaupt has won Austria’s science book of the year in the category of medicine and biology.
Breithaupt is neither a science professor nor Austrian.
His book The Narrative Brain: What Our Neurons Tell Us was shortlisted by a jury of scientists, publishers, journalists and librarians, but ultimately its victory was determined by a public vote. According to the Austrian Ministry of Education, nearly 8,300 citizens participated.
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Breithaupt, who was born in Germany and lives in America, said he was surprised to learn he’d won.
“There is a component in the whole process that favors local talent. So, in that sense, yes, I was surprised,” Breithaupt said. “And very honored.”
When Breithaupt spoke with Indiana Public Media, it was already night in Vienna. He had just returned from a stage production of Faust, one of German theater’s most seminal epics.
Theater has more to do with Breithaupt’s book than some might imagine for the winner of a science prize. Although it draws from cognitive sciences, The Narrative Brain is all about storytelling. Breithaupt wanted to understand how humans transmit experience through narrative.
“Something that happened to you or anyone who's listening to this can also become the experience of others,” he explained. “We all have this wonderful experience of being able to communicate, not just facts of what has happened to us, but also the emotional feeling of what goes along with something.”
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Breithaupt said he approaches research starting with questions rather than disciplines. His training is in literature, but his research on empathy has led him into lab sciences.
At IU, Breithaupt founded the Experimental Humanities Laboratory, where humanities students pursue philosophical questions on human nature using cognitive science.
He’ll return to Bloomington in several weeks, after more book talks, ceremonies, conferences and travel around Europe.
