OTHER MINDS: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life

Peter Godfrey-Smith

ISBN 10: 0008226296 / ISBN 13: 9780008226299

Published by HarperCollins Publishers, United Kingdom, London, 2018

BBC R4 Book of the Week Brilliant Guardian Fascinating and often delightful The Times What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter? In Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith, a distinguished philosopher of science and a skilled scuba diver, tells a bold new story of how nature became aware of itself a story that largely occurs in the ocean, where animals first appeared. Tracking the minds fitful development from unruly clumps of seaborne cells to the first evolved nervous systems in ancient relatives of jellyfish, he explores the incredible evolutionary journey of the cephalopods, which began as inconspicuous molluscs who would later abandon their shells to rise above the ocean floor, searching for prey and acquiring the greater intelligence needed to do so a journey completely independent from the route that mammals and birds would later take. But what kind of intelligence do cephalopods possess? How did the octopus, a solitary creature with little social life, become so smart? What is it like to have eight tentacles that are so packed with neurons that they virtually think for themselves? By tracing the question of inner life back to its roots and comparing human beings with our most remarkable animal relatives, Godfrey-Smith casts crucial new light on the octopus mind and on our own. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR009475619

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About the Author: Peter Godfrey-Smith is a distinguished professor of history and the philosophy of science at the University of Sydney. He is the author of four books, including Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection, which won the 2010 Lakatos Award for an outstanding work on the philosophy of science. His underwater videos of octopuses have been featured in National Geographic and New Scientist.

Bibliographic Details

Title: OTHER MINDS: The Octopus and the Evolution ...
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, United Kingdom, London
Publication Date: 2018
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fair