Other Minds

The Octopus and The Evolution of Intelligent Life

De: Peter Godfrey-Smith

Narrado por: Peter Noble

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 mind’s 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.

©2017 Peter Godfrey-Smith (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

‘Entrancing and profound’ Financial Times

‘A superb, coruscating book’ Literary Review

‘Startlingly incisive … refreshing guidance’ New York Times

‘As poignant as anything you will read this year’ Mail on Sunday

‘In Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith, a philosopher, skilfully combines science, philosophy and his experiences of swimming among these tentacled beasts to illuminate the origin and nature of consciousness.’ The Economist

‘A delight on so many levels’ Dive magazine

‘To investigate these astonishing animals with such empathy and rigour is achievement enough. To do so while casting light on the birth and nature of consciousness, as Peter Godfrey-Smith does here, is captivating.’ China Miéville, author of Kraken

‘I love this book, its masterful blend of natural history, philosophy, and wonder … It’s a captivating story, and Peter Godfrey-Smith brings it alive in vivid, elegant prose … A must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of the mind – ours and the very other, but equally sentient, minds of the cephalopods.’ Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Genius of Birds

amazing world of the octopus

You wouldn't think we'd have that much in common with something that lives in the ocean but the reality is we absolutely do.

This is beautifully written and read, it's compelling and curious with a wonderful.

You can learn a lot about humanity and evolution from this book and I recommend it.

Eye opening and mind-stretching, you’ll never look at octopuses the same way again

A really interesting and mind-stretching book. Among other questions, the author explores ‘what’s it like to be an octopus?’ And the evolutionary origin of the intelligence and the mind. Octopuses form the focus of this exploration as they are one of a small number of animals with large nervous systems and they evolved very separately from other animals we know to be intelligent, like some mammals and birds. I found it really informative on the nature of intelligence, consciousness and evolution and i will never look at these fascinating creatures the same way again. It was a touch dry at some points but as a whole super interesting and enlightening.

A Cephalopod Love Story

Some quite interesting info in parts of the text. Generally too speculative and wishy washy to receive a higher score. A philosopher's work of science rather than a scientist's work of science. Comes across as someone playing at being Edward O. Wilson out of an emphatuation with octopi but lacking the expertise to pull it off.

An interesting and thought provoking book.

I have been thinking about some of the topics and ideas from this book since starting it and I expect for some time. I feel much better informed about cephalopods, and this book fit well my my general interest in consciousness. the narrator was an excellent choice.