Derksen extends the discussion of brain determination in significant ways. He rightfully challenges my criterion of “Could I do otherwise?” as a way of gauging the force of brain determination, and discussion fruitfully shifts to the negotiated spaces between self and embodiment. Derksen also recharges my use of the term “instrument” by linking it with technology studies. I do, however, find problematic his emphasis on techno-agency as a means of linking brain to cultural life, and conclude with a recommendation for exploring the various discursive communities currently shaping our constructions of the brain.
