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 PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
Critic 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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- 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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1 person found this helpful
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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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