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Other Minds
- The Octopus and The Evolution of Intelligent Life
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
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Other Minds
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Summary
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.
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark
- 12-11-17
great stuff
My affinity with these creatures is enhanced. I will never eat one again!
well written, well read, and I know more now than I did before.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Russ
- 04-07-18
I could listen to this all day
Both the author and the narrator are on top form. There are a lot of ideas, information and concepts packed into the book in such an readable way. The narrator's delivery of the material just adss another layer of polish. Just want to go back and listen to the whole thing again.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 29-12-19
Quite interesting!
The book is well put together, its stories fascinate and educate. However, at times it shows that it's been written by a philosopher. The never ending tangents and loosely related elaborations throw you off and bore. Would recommend to people who have interest in the topic.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. K. Leigh
- 27-09-20
Fascinating guided journey through human & cephalopod evolution
The topic sounded interesting but it didn’t suggest how fascinating our evolutionary history actually was. The connection with cephalopods was unknown to me before listening to this book. There are so many parts of it that could lead to further investigation. The narrator was excellent. You will have to concentrate at times or simply re-listen to passages if you really want to absorb the knowledge. Else sit back, listen carefully and be taken on a journey backwards and forwards from the present day to primordial seas and hundreds of millions of years in between. The evolutionary branches and the helpful conclusions of the author linking thinking as we know it and non-human minds is fascinating. Thoroughly recommend this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Connor Lee
- 08-03-22
Okay?
Well narrated, thought provoking, but not very scientific. it's rather subjective and admittedly so
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- albal
- 07-06-20
Life of an octopus is a hard one and interesting
Superb, An interest in biology is a must. A bit confusing at times if your not an avid reader or studied in science.
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