Other minds : the octopus and the evolution of intelligent life (original: 2016; edição: 2018)

This had some interesting ideas although I felt that it could've done with being edited down quite substantially - I would've preferred something a lot punchier and struggled to maintain my interest through some sections. But clearly it worked for many other readers here, so maybe it's just that I lack their appetite for detail. My other main reservation is that when describing his encounters with the octopus, I felt that the author frequently anthropomorphised it - projecting human consciousness onto it when there did not appear to be much evidence to support his interpretation of what was going on in the octopus' mind. ( )

Although written simply, this book could be considered esoteric. First, of course, who is interested in the "deep origins of consciousness"? Not enough of us, for sure. Second, the author explores different creatures, both sea- and land-animals, in such detail that at times it seems too much.

Yet without the level of detail, and honestly it is not that deep, Godfrey-Smith wouldn't have been able to make sense. We need to understand why such extraordinary brain power is found in a creature who lives, on average, only two years. We need to see how different types of brains evolve and possibly why.

For years, scientists proceeded on the assumption that vertebrates contained the animals with the greatest brainpower. And that brains functioned generally in a similar way and were structured similarly. But the octopus and its relatives did not develop this way and seem to have very different purposes and physical characteristics.

For me, the book validates my thinking, that there is no perfect way to compare animals, and particularly when examining many-celled animals we cannot easily say one is "smarter" than another. Or feels more. Or is more "valuable". There is no hierarchy. We are all different and deserve to be respected for who we are.

Beyond these conclusions, which are mine, not the author's, from this book we learn so much that is fascinating about octopi, squid, cuttlefish, and other cepholapods that we are obliged to consider what we humans are doing to destroy the ocean. ( )

Very interesting, give it a go ( )

Accessible and interesting. Took me back to my earlier interests in embodied cognition and the philosophy of mind and biology. ( )

This was fascinating. It was philosophically interesting, and I learned many cool facts about cuttlefish and octopuses. It touches on psychology, physiology, biology, and evolution. I was inspired to ask questions about topics which I'd yet to think deeply upon.

A couple of warnings:

1) If you are disturbed by depictions of animals being harmed, there is a brief section in here that speaks about experiments performed on animals. Some may find this upsetting to read, but it is a very tiny portion.

2) If you only have a Kindle Paperwhite or original Kindle, be aware that this contains some lovely color photos (in the middle in the dead-tree, at the back in the digital). I simply pulled up the photos on a Kindle app on my phone, but this should be a factor to consider when deciding which format you want.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to all involved in providing me with this opportunity. ( )