Other Minds
The Octopus and The Evolution of Intelligent Life
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Other Minds
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Narrated by:
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Peter Noble
About this listen
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 PublishersCritic Reviews
‘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
What listeners say about Other Minds
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Craig P
- 07-08-2019
Excellent and entertaining.
The author shows excellent depth of knowledge of the subject. Asks good questions and provokes the next questions. He shows his bias when it comes to alternative points of view, dismissing genuine alternatives with a grunt or two. How could anyone think otherwise? ....By looking at other evidence. By not assuming evolutionary theory is beyond question. Nevertheless, he makes his case well and leaves the difficult questions to others.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 18-06-2020
Fasinating exploration of the minds.
It was over to quickly! Loved the exploration of the theory of the minds found on this planet.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 06-02-2023
deeply curious about the underwater world now
thank you! I was getting a strange obsession about the octopus-kind, wanting to practice freediving, but also improve my understanding of nervous systems - the different ways to think and communicate.
This book was a tremendously inspiring one and I am going to revisit its chapters and take notes..
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-06-2017
Literary science at its pinnacle
Fantastic performance reading a stunning book.
Godfrey-Smith shows his passion for the philosophy, psychology, and biology of the Cephalopods whilst communicating cutting edge science.
It is great to see communication of this content done in such an academic, yet accessible way. Very enjoyable.
Highly recommended
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 19-03-2021
A must for anyone interested in the natural world.
This was an extremely interesting tale that delved into human and animal intelligence. Along with the evolution of complex life, philosophy of consciousness and wonders of nature. And extremely concise book with up to date factual relevance.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 26-04-2023
Great first half
interesting first half, really enjoyed it and was hooked. the last couple of hours I lost interest and really struggled to stay focused and finish
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dominic
- 12-03-2018
Fascinating, informative, and thought provoking.
An wonderful window into the lives of cephalopods, and a fascinating study of intelligence itself.
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- Ryan
- 20-08-2020
A beautiful exploration of alien life
An enlightening read with equal parts science, philosophy, and beautiful prose. Absolutely recommended for anybody with an interest in evolution, sentience, or our incredible cephalopals.
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- Kindle Customer
- 30-07-2021
Absolutely Amazing
a mind opening look into not only the evolution and conscious experience of the octopus but a look into our own minds behaviour and the effect we are having on the world.
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- Libby Lin
- 05-06-2017
Light and Entrancing
Who knew that do much was happening in the mind of a cuttlefish or octopus? Fascinating from beginning to end. Books don't often change my perspective of the world in a tangible way - this is a rare exception. Other Minds is a loving fusion of evolution, biology and philosophy. I found Godfrey-Smith's story telling so compelling that I probably won't eat octopus again. If ever you wonder why the ocean is deserving of our moral consideration, read this book.
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