Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

by Peter Godfrey-Smith

English language

Published March 14, 2017

ISBN:: 978-0-374-53719-7

(12 reviews)

Other Minds is a 2016 bestseller by Peter Godfrey-Smith on the evolution and nature of consciousness. It compares the situation in cephalopods, especially octopuses and cuttlefish, with that in mammals and birds. Complex active bodies that enable and perhaps require a measure of intelligence have evolved three times, in arthropods, cephalopods, and vertebrates. The book reflects on the nature of cephalopod intelligence in particular, constrained by their short lifespan, and embodied in large part in their partly autonomous arms which contain more nerve cells than their brains. The book has been admired by reviewers, who have found it delightfully written, undogmatic but incisive in its analysis, and its account of intelligence as a subjective embodied experience elegantly told. His octopus subjects come across as "uncannily personable without being at all human."

2 editions

Eduardo Santiago reviewed Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Review of 'Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Fascinating material, greatly enhanced by the author’s diving experiences. Thought-provoking questions on the origins and purposes of communication and on the multiple independent origins (twice? possibly three times?) of intelligence. Mind-boggling facts (new to me) about octopus and cuttlefish behavior. Unfortunately, although the title promises an exploration of consciousness, I don’t think there was much treatment of that question. I also found the editing somewhat lax: frequent disjointed thematic jumps, even mid-paragraph, requiring some mental gymnastics to reorient. Even so, I highly recommend this book as a way to learn more about our world and our selves.

markm reviewed Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Review of 'Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The author is a philosopher of Science. This is a discussion of the evolutionary origin of consciousness with much, albeit referenced, speculation, and centered largely on the seeming intelligence of Cephalopods (primarily the Octopus and Cuttlefish). The text is rambling and includes digressions on, for example, Baboon behavior and an excellent summary of the evolutionary theory of aging. Although it is not quite a fully organized classical essay, I enjoyed all of it, especially the information on the natural history of the Cephalopods. A few remarks, e.g. 'the esophagus of the Octopus passes through its brain', will probably lead me to more reading on the anatomy of these animals. Oh, and that may be it for me and Calamari.