Social Intelligence. From Brain to Culture.

Why are humans so clever? Social Intelligence explores the idea that this cleverness has evolved through the increasing complexity of social groups. Our ability to understand and control nature is a by-product of our ability to understand the mental states of others and to use this knowledge to co-operate or deceive. These abilities have not emerged out of the blue. They can be found in many social animals that co-operate and compete with one another, birds as well as mammals.

This book brings together contributions from an impressive list of authorities in the field, appropriately concluding with a chapter by Nick Humphrey (one of the pioneers in this field). This volume examines social intelligence in many different animal species and explores its development, its evolution and the brain systems upon which it depends. Better understanding and futher development of social intelligence is critical for the future of the human race and the world that we inhabit. Our problems will not be solved by mere cleverness, but by increased social co-operation.

Nathan Emery is a Royal Society Research Fellow in the Sub-department of Animal Behaviour at the University of Cambridge, UK. Nicola Clayton is a Professor of Comparative Cognition in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Cambridge, UK. Chris Frith is a Professor at the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience at the Institute of Neurology at the University College London, UK.