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
A philosopher dons a wet suit and journeys into the depths of consciousness.
Peter Godfrey-Smith is a leading philosopher of science. He is also a scuba diver whose underwater videos of warring octopuses have attracted wide notice. In this audiobook he brings his parallel careers together to tell a bold new story of how nature became aware of itself.
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 marvellous creatures display remarkable gifts.
What does it mean that intelligence on Earth has evolved not once but twice? And that the mind of the octopus is nonetheless so different from our own? Combining science and philosophy with firsthand accounts of his cephalopod encounters, 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.
©2017 Peter Godfrey-Smith (P)2017 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Other Minds
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- bella
- 21-04-19
fascinating
really loved this fascinating story , octopus building social housing and urban development.
narrator equally excellent.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jane Chester
- 16-12-19
Exceptional listen.
Unexpectedly marvellous!
This was a random choice for me and it was fantastic, really clear narration helpful, the author sets out each chapter to explain the incredible evolution under the sea.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-04-20
loved the audiobook!
the audiobook was read in such a calm and not at all monotone voice. The book is well written and made me think about topic about our everyday lives although the book was about octopuses. It's a great book to listen if you are interested in philosophy and the evolution of life.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Radio Hydrogen
- 24-10-22
Mind expanding science using measured language
I love this book. It is engaging ,and in a sober scientific way, still manages to deliver a delicious spook factor, demonstrating that Science and Reality will always be more fantastic than superstition and fiction. The language is accessible, the narrator is a good disembodied guide, and the content mind-blowing. I have always wanted to meet aliens, this book is the next best thing.
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- K-Diddy
- 06-12-18
A cephalopod love story
It's clear that Peter Godfrey-Smith holds a special place in his heart for these unusual and enigmatic creatures.
The book discusses the science of intelligence through our relationship to cephalopods. It's interesting, enlightening and often challenges our preconceptions.
I cant speak for the writer's scientific rigour; he definitely allows himself to personify these animals to a certain extent... that being said, these colourful desriptions are always backed up with an academic discussion.
All in all I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in natural science.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Otis Manousakos
- 17-08-18
It will make you a better reader and thinker
Aside from providing further illumination on the subject on consciousness and the evolutionary foundations that all life shares, this wonderful book, with the excellent narration provided by Peter Noble, will make you a better reader in the future, more broad and incisive thinker, and most of all, appreciative of the branches of evolution that selected us to have the ability to reflect on what links us all to one-another. The reading is pitch perfect in tone, pauses and pacing. Peter Godfrey-Smith's erudition, clarity and story-telling gifts found a perfect auditory distribution vehicle through Peter Noble....Jesus, they have me sounding like them now:) In all sincerity, treat your mind and 'that thing' in your mind that wants to 'know more'. It is rare when knowledge is communicated as experientially as it does intellectually. Thank you to Godfrey-Smith and Noble for seven hours that will provide me with a life's worth of investigation and reflection. I hope these two work together more often.
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4 people found this helpful
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- RabbitLemon
- 09-06-18
Excellent viewing point on life
Totally recommend for the subject and how it relates to us. And excellent reading voice
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 25-01-20
Excellent
Beautiful mixture of philosophy and biology. Many thought provoking ideas that enables one to see the evolution of intelligence in a different light. Brilliant work with advanced ideas while remaining accessible.
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- Mr. R. Warren
- 19-05-21
Fascinating read
What an interesting and illuminating read. Octopuses are my new favourite animal!. Well written and very accessible.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- miko slater
- 09-03-21
Top draw
Fascinating book with wonderfully illuminating descriptions of latest research into the history of the natural world
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