A Brief History of the Mind: From Apes to Intellect and Beyond - Hardcover

Calvin, William H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195159071 ISBN 13: 9780195159073

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2004

Synopsis

This book looks back at the simpler versions of mental life in apes, Neanderthals, and our ancestors, back before our burst of creativity started 50,000 years ago. When you can't think about the future in much detail, you are trapped in a here-and-now existence with no "What if" and "Why me?" William H. Calvin takes stock of what we have now and then explains why we are nearing a crossroads, where mind shifts gears again.
The mind's big bang came long after our brain size stopped enlarging. Calvin suggests that the development of long sentences--what modern children do in their third year--was the most likely trigger. To keep a half-dozen concepts from blending together like a summer drink, you need some mental structuring. In saying "I think I saw him leave to go home," you are nesting three sentences inside a fourth. We also structure plans, play games with rules, create structured music and chains of logic, and have a fascination with discovering how things hang together. Our long train of connected thoughts is why our consciousness is so different from what came before.
Where does mind go from here, its powers extended by science-enhanced education but with its slowly evolving gut instincts still firmly anchored in the ice ages? We will likely shift gears again, juggling more concepts and making decisions even faster, imagining courses of action in greater depth. Ethics are possible only because of a human level of ability to speculate, judge quality, and modify our possible actions accordingly. Though science increasingly serves as our headlights, we are out driving them, going faster than we can react effectively.

About this title

About the Author

William H. Calvin is a neurobiologist at the University of Washington in Seattle who wanders regularly into anthropology, evolution, and climate change. He has written a dozen books, including A Brain for All Seasons, which won the Phi Beta Kappa 2002 Book Award for contributions to literature by scientists.

Review

"As always, the author's erudition demands close attention but makes science entertaining and accessible for the layman."--Kirkus Reviews

"Calvin's history will stretch your mind.... The Seattle scientist writes in a conversational style, often referring to 'stuff.' But it's high-level stuff with surprising insights."--Associated Press

"Conversational and colorful, uncluttered by intimidating footnote references.... Calvin is a master both of how minds work in a cultural context, and how brains work on a neuron level. He's also a master at helping ordinary readers understand neurobiology."--Nashville Scene

"As a work of writing, 'A Brief History of the Mind' is not just a summary of Calvin's thoughts; it is full of eloquent quotes from other thinkers. It has a good bibliography for readers who wish to explore this subject.... It is hard to imagine a subject of more fundamental interest to human beings. If you've ever wondered why you are who you are, 'A Brief History of the Mind' is a good place to start."--Seattle Times

Acclaim for previous books by William Calvin

"There is something dizzying about William Calvin's books. Enormous erudition is displayed, with an effortless artistry that blends idiosyncrasy and digression with wit, insight, and dramatic impact. He mixes very difficult and momentous topics with simple momentary observations, placing his enormous subjects into a personal, humanistic, and conversational perspective.... Amusing, alarming, reassuring, and awe inspiring by turns. It is as if the reader is partaking of a conversation with a brilliant and well-informed friend who is so full of ideas that no one else can get a word in edgewise." --Virginia Quarterly Review, on A Brain for All Seasons

"Calvin is a member of that rare breed of scientists who can translate the arcana of their fields into lay language, and he's one of the best." --Marcia Bartusiak, New York Times Book Review

"Thinking along with Calvin is sheer delight." --Daniel Dennett, on The Cerebral Symphony

"William Calvin writes with clarity and elegance about the brain. In an age when brain science is becoming increasingly fragmented and specialized, Calvin is a rara avis." --V. S. Ramachandran, on The Cerebral Code

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0195159071
• ISBN 13: 9780195159073
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240