I've Been Thinking...

By: Daniel C. Dennett

Narrated by: Graham Winton

How unfair for one man to be blessed with such a torrent of stimulating thoughts. Stimulating is an understatement.—Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion

Daniel C. Dennett—preeminent philosopher and cognitive scientist—has spent his career creating the basis for a naturalistic account of consciousness with acumen and elegance. I’ve Been Thinking traces the development of Dennett’s own intellect and instructs us how we too can become good thinkers.

Dennett’s restless curiosity leads him from his childhood in Beirut to Harvard, and from Parisian jazz clubs to “tillosophy” on his tractor in Maine. Along the way, he reveals the breakthroughs and misjudgments that shaped his paradigm-shifting philosophies. Dennett introduces his legendary interlocutors—Douglas Hofstadter, Marvin Minsky, Willard Van Orman Quine, Gilbert Ryle, Richard Rorty, Thomas Nagel, John Searle, Gerald Edelman, Stephen Jay Gould, Jerry Fodor, and more—whose ideas, even when he disagreed with them, proved formative to his own convictions about the mind and consciousness. This memoir by one of the greatest minds of our time will speak to anyone who seeks to balance a life of the mind with adventure and creativity.

©2023 Daniel C. Dennett (P)2023 Recorded Books

Excellent book. I learned a lot.

Listening enabled me to easily take notes about new information or things I wanted to research further. The reading was well done and enhanced my enjoyment.

great for Dennett fans

an enjoyable exploration of his life and events (but not his work in detail).
academics will probably like it even more

Wit and Clarity

Writing with the wit and clarity of Mark Twain, Dennett chronicles his life in academia, philosophy, cognitive science, and sailing. His story is extraordinary. Lucky breaks, deep insights, hard work, and passion have come together over a long life to produce one of the towering thinkers of our time.

well done. wished for more.

I was interested in this unique life. I learned a lot about the life of this particular philosopher.

I learned about the workings of universities, how top people in the sciences and humanities get together and help each other, how this particular atheist lived his life. it is one thing to read someone's philosophy and another to see how they lived ....what they thought noteworthy enough to write about their life....and what they think useful to pass on to other people and society.

he had a meaningful and impactful life. an alternative life...even for a philosopher.


He tells of fascinating experiences he had. He tells of his victories. He seems slightly light on talking about mistakes he has made.

hearing what he did right gave me wisdom.

hearing of his enjoyment of helping others but still having lots of fun was inspiring. ....it's an example of how he thinks we should live.

I have read quite a few autobiographies and will put this in my favorites.

voice was excellent

Excellent memoir

What an interesting story and life. It's nice to learn about the life and the man behind the mind.