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Metazoa : animal life and the birth of the mind / Peter Godfrey-Smith.
Author
Godfrey-Smith, Peter
[Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Εdition
First edition.
Published/Created
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020.
©2020
Description
x, 336 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm
Availability
Copies in the Library
Location
Call Number
Status
Location Service
Notes
Lewis Library - Stacks
QL45.2 .G63 2020
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Details
Subject(s)
Metazoa
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Consciousness
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Perception
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Evolution (Biology)
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Summary note
"Dip below the ocean's surface and you are soon confronted by forms of life that could not seem more foreign to our own: sea sponges, soft corals, and serpulid worms, whose rooted bodies, intricate geometry, and flower-like appendages are more reminiscent of plant life or even architecture than anything recognizably animal. Yet these creatures are our cousins. As fellow members of the animal kingdom--the Metazoa--they can teach us much about the evolutionary origins of not only our bodies, but also our minds. In his acclaimed 2016 book, Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explored the mind of the octopus--the closest thing to an intelligent alien on Earth. In Metazoa, Godfrey-Smith expands his inquiry to animals at large, investigating the evolution of subjective experience with the assistance of far-flung species. As he delves into what it feels like to perceive and interact with the world as other life-forms do, Godfrey-Smith shows that the appearance of the animal body well over half a billion years ago was a profound innovation that set life upon a new path. In accessible, riveting prose, he charts the ways that subsequent evolutionary developments--eyes that track, for example, and bodies that move through and manipulate the environment--shaped the subjective lives of animals. Following the evolutionary paths of a glass sponge, soft coral, banded shrimp, octopus, and fish, then moving onto land and the world of insects, birds, and primates like ourselves, Metazoa gathers their stories together in a way that bridges the gap between mind and matter, addressing one of the most vexing philosophical problems: that of consciousness." -- Amazon.com
"A philosopher of science explains how the animal kingdom gave rise to human consciousness"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-319) and index.
Contents
Protozoa
The glass sponge
The ascent of soft coral
The one-armed shrimp
The origin of subjects
The octopus
Kingfish
On land
Fins, legs, wings
Put together by degrees.
Show 7 more Contents items
ISBN
9780374207946 (hardcover)
0374207941 (hardcover)
LCCN
2020027260
OCLC
1158510266
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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Metazoa : animal life and the birth of the mind / Peter Godfrey-Smith.
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