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Other minds : the octopus and the evolution of intelligent life / Peter Godfrey-Smith.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: London : William Collins, 2018.Description: xii, 255 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 20 cmISBN:
  • 9780008226299 (pbk.) :
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 128.2 23
LOC classification:
  • BD418.3
Summary: Mammals and birds are widely seen as the smartest creatures on earth. But one other branch of the tree of life has also sprouted surprising intelligence: the cephalopods, consisting of the squid, the cuttlefish, and above all the octopus. New research shows that these creatures display remarkable gifts. What does it mean that intelligence on Earth has evolved not once but twice? Combining science and philosophy, Godfrey-Smith shows how primitive organisms bobbing in the ocean began sending signals to each other and how these early forms of communication gave rise to the advanced nervous systems that permit cephalopods to change colours and human beings to speak. By tracing the problem of consciousness back to its roots and comparing the human brain to its most alien and perhaps most remarkable animal relative, Godfrey-Smith's 'Other Minds' sheds new light on one of our most abiding mysteries.
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Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
General The Harden Library, King's Hospital Main 128.2 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available R15820P0499

Originally published: New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Mammals and birds are widely seen as the smartest creatures on earth. But one other branch of the tree of life has also sprouted surprising intelligence: the cephalopods, consisting of the squid, the cuttlefish, and above all the octopus. New research shows that these creatures display remarkable gifts. What does it mean that intelligence on Earth has evolved not once but twice? Combining science and philosophy, Godfrey-Smith shows how primitive organisms bobbing in the ocean began sending signals to each other and how these early forms of communication gave rise to the advanced nervous systems that permit cephalopods to change colours and human beings to speak. By tracing the problem of consciousness back to its roots and comparing the human brain to its most alien and perhaps most remarkable animal relative, Godfrey-Smith's 'Other Minds' sheds new light on one of our most abiding mysteries.

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