Other Minds

The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

De: Peter Godfrey-Smith

Narrado por: Peter Noble

Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith dons a wet suit and journeys into the depths of consciousness in Other Minds

Although mammals and birds are widely regarded as the smartest creatures on earth, it has lately become clear that a very distant branch of the tree of life has also sprouted higher intelligence: the cephalopods, consisting of the squid, the cuttlefish, and above all the octopus. In captivity, octopuses have been known to identify individual human keepers, raid neighboring tanks for food, turn off lightbulbs by spouting jets of water, plug drains, and make daring escapes. How is it that a creature with such gifts evolved through an evolutionary lineage so radically distant from our own? What does it mean that evolution built minds not once but at least 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 subjective experience crept into being—how nature became aware of itself. As Godfrey-Smith stresses, it is a story that largely occurs in the ocean, where animals first appeared. Tracking the mind’s fitful development, Godfrey-Smith shows how unruly clumps of seaborne cells began living together and became capable of sensing, acting, and signaling. As these primitive organisms became more entangled with others, they grew more complicated. The first nervous systems evolved, probably in ancient relatives of jellyfish; later on, the cephalopods, which began as inconspicuous mollusks, abandoned their shells and rose above the ocean floor, searching for prey and acquiring the greater intelligence needed to do so. Taking an independent route, mammals and birds later began their own evolutionary journeys.

But what kind of intelligence do cephalopods possess? Drawing on the latest scientific research and his own scuba-diving adventures, Godfrey-Smith probes the many mysteries that surround the lineage. 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”? What happens when some octopuses abandon their hermit-like ways and congregate, as they do in a unique location off the coast of Australia?

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.

it was great

it was amazing. voice was captivating. stories were well written and ordered in a way that anyone from psychologists (I'm one) to biologist, or someone just interested in conciousness or philosophy will get something out of this book. cant give it enough stars. Well done, really well done.

It's a good read and at times great.

Many parts were interesting and I liked how the author weaves in psychology. Some parts are unnecessarily complicated or seem less than crucial to the story. The narrator is really good.

The cephalopod story, movingly told

The cephalopod story, movingly told by Peter Godfrey-Smith. His subjects show amazing mental and physical capacity — but why still puzzles scientists, since they have such short lives. Very well narrated.

Interesting Read

An interesting introduction to consciousness theory. Also octopuses and cuddle fish seem dope too. Enjoyed it a lot

More supporting opinion about Octopus intelligence

Like the work Craig Foster has done in his Oscar awarded documentary My Octopus Teacher, Godfrey-Smith explores the behavior of octopus and cuttlefish. His book is yet more evidence that there are many different types of intelligent activity present in other species on Earth.

This is a very important perspective for us Humans to realize since we so often take a very arrogant, ethnocentric, even chauvinistic stance toward any type of intelligence we don’t possess or understand, whether in other humans or other “lower” species.

We have a lot to learn. This book can help, though there are a lot more stories he uses to make his points than we need to appreciate his position. Four stars.