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Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind

Peter Godfrey-Smith

3.89 · Rating details · 920 ratings · 159 reviews

The scuba-diving philosopher who wrote Other Minds explores the origins of animal consciousness

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 arc The scuba-diving philosopher who wrote Other Minds explores the origins of animal consciousness

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.

Combining vivid animal encounters with philosophical reflections and the latest news from biology, Metazoa reveals that even in our high-tech, AI-driven times, there is no understanding our minds without understanding nerves, muscles, and active bodies. The story that results is as rich and vibrant as life itself. ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published November 10th 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (first published November 1st 2020)

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NYT Editors’ Choice 202012

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Nov 14, 2020 Petra would be happy if only love was bi-lateral rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-100-reviews, animals-ethology, medicine-science, 10-star-books, philosophy-religion, reviewed, 2020-read

Small update I was reading other reviews, and those who don't like philosophy mixed in with their science don't like it so much. But thinking about consciousness - it's one of those things we know for 100% certain exists but no one knows where or can define exactly what it is and which creature has it and which definitely don't. So how can you leave out philosophy?
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I wish I hadn't read this book. The book is mind-expanding, paradigm-shifting as much from the philosophy as the ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 D rated it liked it

A bit superficial and too long. I learned some interesting concepts related to consciousness: experience, subjectivity, agency, sentient etc. And how these applied to various animal species. But no detail, e.g. a more detailed explanation of the role of genetics in evolution. There certainly were many entertaining descriptions of amazing types of animals. But, again, rather superficial. In the end I discovered that the author is a philosopher, that may explain his focus. My mistake.

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Nov 08, 2020 Peter Tillman marked it as to-read

Shelves: sci-tech, travel, to-read-maybe, new-tbp

Best review of this one I've seen yet, by an actual biologist, who's been a pretty reliable reviewer for me: https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2020...
Excerpt:
"Compared to Other Minds, Metazoa dives deeper into neurological and philosophical topics: qualia, pain, emotions, types of memory, and others. It is, altogether, a more challenging book, though in a stimulating way. I am not sure it will have the same wide appeal as Other Minds, but for those readers interested in joining him on his quest t ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Carl Safina rated it really liked it

One of my newly favorite authors and thinkers returns again to consider what consciousness is and what creates the ability of an entity to experience sensations. We know that much of our brain and body does things "in the dark," directing and carrying out high and complex functions without our being aware of them and with no decision-making ability. We also know that part of our brain and the brains of many other species functions as what we can call a "mind," capable of creating experienced sen ...more

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Dec 09, 2020 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: x2020-read

The author poses some really interesting questions about cognition by taking us from the development of single-celled creatures all the way to mammals. The author has an engaging style, and makes his material really interesting. He points to fossils and experiments performed with present day invertebrates to postulate behaviours and experiences of long-dead creatures, and from there to gradually build a picture of thinking and feeling based on actions, reactions and experiences.
The author refus ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Janne Sinkkonen rated it it was amazing

(Listened, not read, which may affect my impressions.)

I have read both "Philosophy of Biology" and "Other Minds" from the author, and like his style, which is non-combative, often searching for a middle way or a synthesis. This book is a bit like Other Minds in that it mixes (often) tranquil diving scenes with more conceptual science and philosophy, in this case evolutionary history of animals, especially their movement, senses and associated implications to cognitive organisation. A carrying th (Listened, not read, which may affect my impressions.)

I have read both "Philosophy of Biology" and "Other Minds" from the author, and like his style, which is non-combative, often searching for a middle way or a synthesis. This book is a bit like Other Minds in that it mixes (often) tranquil diving scenes with more conceptual science and philosophy, in this case evolutionary history of animals, especially their movement, senses and associated implications to cognitive organisation. A carrying theme, although mostly discussed at the beginning and at the end, is philosophy of mind.

I think the discussion of animal evolution and animal minds was excellent, and there is not much to disagree.

On philosophy of mind, he describes himself as a materialist, material monist, and gradualist. This is all ok, for me personally and as a good background for most of the more concrete issues discussed. What bothers me a little bit, but just a little because it is a kind of side track in this book, is the treatment of the hard problem (of consciousness).

Notably, he is critical of panpsychism, but says something like "this is what it feels to *be* the matter, instead of looking at it outside as an observer". But this is exactly what a panpsychist, Philip Goff says! I'd definitely classify the view presented in Metazoa as a panpsychist, the kind of variety which associates the potential of consciousness for all matter but requires nervous systems for it to appear in flavours familiar to ours, and some kind of organisation for it to appear in any flavour.

He also briefly discusses strong AI, is critical of functionalism in this context and (it felt to me) he agrees with Searle's criticism (Chinese room etc.): consciousness depends on the substrate, not necessarily in a very wet sense but on the often overlooked intricate details of organisation at the very low level. (This opens questions about the relationship of computation and physical base in biological systems in general, not touched in the book.)

But the book as its bulk matter discusses animal evolution and the appearance of selves on various branches of the evolutionary tree, also briefly plants. Mixed with descriptions of underwater events, narrated by the author, I find the book very enjoyable, occasionally almost meditative.

...more

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Aug 20, 2021 Honey rated it liked it

Fascinating insight into evolution and cognition.

I enjoyed reading this although the narrative gets a bit more philosophical than scientific.
Somehow made me think more of sentience vs sapience and what constitutes sense of self and being. I particularly liked how he gives a nod to nociception and how creatures we may discredit for certain senses actually have the ability to comprehend and act accordingly and consciously.

Admittedly, not as great as his other book, Other Minds. But still a very i ...more

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Dec 11, 2020 The Inquisitive Biologist rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Author of the bestseller Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith returns to the topic of subjective experience, consciousness and minds, charting the evolution of life's ability to behold itself. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2020... ...more

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Feb 11, 2022 B. Rule rated it liked it · review of another edition

Some books have an urgency and necessity about them. This is not that kind of book. While there's nothing egregiously wrong about Godfrey-Smith's thinking, neither is there anything essential here that justifies the existence of the book. Godfrey-Smith is ostensibly building up a picture of how consciousness arose from the gradual accretion of components in animal minds, which he does primarily by haphazardly describing a few species he saw while futzing around in his hobby as a diver. You get d Some books have an urgency and necessity about them. This is not that kind of book. While there's nothing egregiously wrong about Godfrey-Smith's thinking, neither is there anything essential here that justifies the existence of the book. Godfrey-Smith is ostensibly building up a picture of how consciousness arose from the gradual accretion of components in animal minds, which he does primarily by haphazardly describing a few species he saw while futzing around in his hobby as a diver. You get descriptions of animals like corals, banded shrimp, cephalopods, and nudibranchs, and you can feel his desire to knit them into a story about the emergence of creatures as experiential beings.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Lack of organization, weird strawman intuitions, and inert follow-through result in a flabby and largely unsatisfying effort. Godfrey-Smith floats along like a jellyfish in the current, half-heartedly nibbling little bits of philosophy and neuroscience but never absorbing a full meal. There are some interesting implications of his gradualist view, including challenges to the essential unity of conscious experience, but he doesn't do enough to draw them out. Instead, I got the sense that he mostly likes writing natural history, but his publisher wouldn't accept a simple dive diary after his last book (more successfully) married philosophy of mind with his reef explorations. Without the singular focus on the octopus to hone his arguments, this one dissipates like an inky cloud, vague and frankly a little obfuscatory.

Further, his goals are pretty modest. The opening pages led me to expect a robust challenge to the framing of the hard problem of consciousness, but his answer is a pretty anemic "qualia are just what it is to be this kind of creature." The only distinction he puts forward with any assurance is that sentience is not a separate product of a brain's operations. Okay, sure, but that doesn't tell you a lot, does it?

He also lost me by repeatedly talking about how we all assume insects and other animals farther out on the tree of life are mere robots without interiority. I guess he's fighting an army of Descarteses. However, I was just scratching my head because that's certainly not my intuition. We may not credit their subjectivities are worthy of protection, but I don't assume that the flies I swat have none.

Despite the overall failure of the project, I didn't dislike the book. Godfrey-Smith is good at describing animal behaviors (usually through significant anthropomorphism), and his self-effacing manner holds some charm. His gentle chiding to recognize mindedness in a wider circle of other creatures has welcome ethical implications. The final chapter has the obligatory pious protestations that minds are not substrate-independent that seemingly all pop-sci books must have these days, thus shutting the door of consciousness behind us for various transhumanist utopias of strong AI and mind-uploading. If you go into this book with your expectations very low (no, lower than that), you won't have a terrible time. But don't expect anything as good as his previous book, flawed though it was, nor anything close to the heights reached by the best books on neuroscience out there. 2.5/5 stars, although I'll round up since its greatest crime is mere mediocrity. ...more

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Dec 01, 2020 Dan Graser rated it really liked it

I was pleasantly surprised by this volume from philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith in that it brought some welcome clarity to the issue of consciousness and the origin of what we know to be the mind in the natural world. Oftentimes - and I realize how general a remark this is - philosophers discussing something that is mainly the province of scientists turns the discussion into a linguistic and syntactical rat's maze with no end and no conclusions, even if they manage to agree on terminology (they n I was pleasantly surprised by this volume from philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith in that it brought some welcome clarity to the issue of consciousness and the origin of what we know to be the mind in the natural world. Oftentimes - and I realize how general a remark this is - philosophers discussing something that is mainly the province of scientists turns the discussion into a linguistic and syntactical rat's maze with no end and no conclusions, even if they manage to agree on terminology (they never do). A lot of people approach books in this area from philosophers with trepidation however I have to say as someone with a very biologically centered materialist view on this, you have nothing to fear from this volume.

Here, proceeding from a very materialistic perspective on the mind, he examines how varying degrees of sensation, response, and adaptation have transformed the nervous systems, and as a result, the ability to call something a mind from some of our most distant ancestors. A particularly interesting focus for me was on nociception in creatures we don't credit with having a sense of pain. That we begin with some of the most basic sea creatures - mollusks, shrimp, starfish - is evidence of how comprehensive a look he is taking at the notion of having a mind and being conscious. We are then treated to a developmental history of these features both from fossil and naturalistic evidence and also from his own personal experiences observing these creatures in the waters around Australia.

I'm not totally sure I agree with his final conclusions, embracing the "walled off garden" notion from Wittgenstein (a remark that this previous philosopher meant as a pejorative), however I have to say I haven't yet read a book that dealt with a subject area so fraught with tedious and tangential terminological issues that read with such clarity and openness of opinion. It is certainly the case that humans have been very solipsistic in their view of what could constitute a mind among our distant cousins and ancestors, and so far, Peter Godrey-Smith is the best guide to take you through this development while also framing the discussion - philosophically speaking - with cogency and clarity. ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Travis Rebello rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Diving into the waters of the mind once more

Metazoa is simply a stunning book. A mix of evocative underwater scenes, evolutionary storytelling, and philosophical exploration, it has got to be one of the most fascinating books I have read. Peter Godfrey-Smith builds here on his bestselling Other Minds, expanding both on the range of philosophical puzzles about the mind that are explored and the cast of creatures that join us in that exploration. He has a wonderful ability not only to capture the Diving into the waters of the mind once more

Metazoa is simply a stunning book. A mix of evocative underwater scenes, evolutionary storytelling, and philosophical exploration, it has got to be one of the most fascinating books I have read. Peter Godfrey-Smith builds here on his bestselling Other Minds, expanding both on the range of philosophical puzzles about the mind that are explored and the cast of creatures that join us in that exploration. He has a wonderful ability not only to capture the visual scenery of the underwater world in words, but also to identify features of conscious experience that can otherwise be so elusive and to imagine his way into the inner lives of some of the most alien animals on our planet.

The book is ultimately a defence of materialism about the mind, but one that doesn’t shy from the challenges involved in making materialism intuitively acceptable. Godfrey-Smith describes his approach—borrowing from some remarks by the mathematician Alexander Gothendieck—as one of building knowledge around a problem until the problem transforms and disappears. In this way, the books seeks to open new directions for thinking about the nature of the mind and its realization in the vastly different bodies of our fellow creatures. Some of my favourite passages from Metazoa involve speculations that reach beyond what can be settled by currently available evidence; one has the sense there of being included in Godfrey-Smith's own private meditations, as though sitting with him while he thinks aloud on these difficult topics.

If, like me, you engage with Metazoa as an audiobook, you'll see (or hear) that the author reads his own work for this one. Authors reading their own works can sometimes go quite badly, but Godfrey-Smith's reading of his work is clear and engaging. After a while, I found myself returning to the audiobook as if to an ongoing conversation with an old friend. If there is a downside to the audiobook, it is merely that the diagrams and pictures that feature in the printed edition of the book are not included. If you also take this on as an audiobook, I highly recommend finding some way to have a look at these—perhaps online or in the kindle edition of the book. ...more

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Jan 03, 2021 Stephen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: natural-history-environment

Epistemology is one of my many weak points. There were places in this wondrous book that waxed too philosophical for me to follow and I confess got skimmed. The new paleontology, the biology, the neuroscience, the animal behavior sections are moving and eye-opening They are also witty, as in the description of a shrimp with multiple appendages "a Swiss army knife" or of another shrimp with a head "festooned with golf clubs and party lights." The author describes an experiment showing that bees, ...more

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Jan 01, 2022 Sophia rated it it was amazing

So far, this is the only philosopher that not only can I stomach, but I genuinely enjoy reading and agree with his ideas. In this book he lays out the case for gradual sentience across species with a particular focus on sea creatures that could most resemble our evolutionary ancestors.

As with the first book, this is a really pleasant read that feels like watching a nature documentary, painting a picture of seascapes populated by the most amazing creatures. In between the discovery of different ...more

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Jan 09, 2021 Ben Rogers rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, biology, science, environment, nature, history, psychology, animals, ecology, evolution

I enjoyed this one.

Great scientific book.

I feel that, although this book was great, I would recommend instead these books instead:
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness
Fathoms: The World in the Whale
Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures

2.9/5 ...more

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Nov 05, 2021 Glen Schroeder rated it it was amazing

Godfrey-Smith seems to get a lot of flack for being a philosopher discussing biology. But I think the best works are interdisciplinary and often the ones that lead to new insights and fresh questions. For a philosopher, he knows his science (at least to the degree required by the subject matter). If you must critique those who write outside the bounds of their discipline, might I suggest Richard Dawkins.

All your favorite books that you’ve read throughout your life were about the human condition Godfrey-Smith seems to get a lot of flack for being a philosopher discussing biology. But I think the best works are interdisciplinary and often the ones that lead to new insights and fresh questions. For a philosopher, he knows his science (at least to the degree required by the subject matter). If you must critique those who write outside the bounds of their discipline, might I suggest Richard Dawkins.

All your favorite books that you’ve read throughout your life were about the human condition—this banal term worthy at best of high school sophomore English papers, and the better (more collegiate, speculative, philosophical, beautiful, etc.) works deal with this rather large idea in more sophisticated ways, and we appreciate them for that. But certainly that perspective is inherently narrow, vast in the individual perspectives of a single species. So how much more grand of a view it is when we pick up a book like this, a book whose premise is to discuss (with all the modern researches and the millennia of philosophies) consciousness as experienced by all living and evolved beings.

There is a term you must understand here: gradualism. This is the idea that evolution does not rapidly develop sentience/consciousness in this species or that, but instead enables it to develop gradually to varying degrees throughout species as advantageous to each species, adding more here, subtracting some there, as needed. Godfrey-Smith’s previous book Other Minds is all about cephalopods, their brains (which operate entirely differently than mammal, reptile, or fish bilateralism), and their path through evolution. Metazoa is a continuation of that book, and though the author spends a good chunk of time discussing octopuses and their ilk here as well, this book indeed branches out to discuss many other species (without much focus at all on mammals).

Talking of everything from dolphins to ants, bees to whale sharks, and the nervous systems of each, he eventually argues that to some degree subjective experience exists across species. (Plants are a bit different regarding the topic of mind. Read the book.) What subjective experience looks like can differ greatly of course. “If subjectivity is an important idea in making sense in the evolution of the mind, doesn’t everything with minimal cognition have a kind of subjectivity, a way things seem to it, and so on?” I think so, Peter. And all the while throughout, one can ruminate on how these ideas impact the age-old debate of monism v. dualism.

The human condition: “A likely difference between human and non-human cases is not the existence of elsewhere experience [the mind drifting away from immediate sensory experience] but the extent of its deliberate control. A feature of human cognition that really does seem to differ greatly from what goes on in other animals is something psychologists call “executive control”—the ability to direct oneself on a task, suppress momentary urges, and marshal one’s various abilities in pursuit of a consciously represented goal.”

I wasn’t even going to write a review, but how could I not. The research, the speculation, and the consideration for other species will get you every time. Give it a read and see for yourself. ...more

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Oct 03, 2021 Tom Ewing rated it really liked it

What is it like to be a bee? Or a shrimp, a sponge, an octopus, or any other animal? Godfrey-Smith’s exploration of this fascinating question is welcoming without being glib - he’s always careful to point out when he simply doesn’t know an answer. Which is often, as the central problems here - of where and when the animal capabilities of sensing and action shade into experiencing and a sense of self - are famously hard.

The book is strongest in its first half, advancing steadily through the bill ...more

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Jan 02, 2021 Steve rated it it was amazing

A wonderful book! Continues the exploration of consciousness he started in “Other Minds” by looking at other forms of life. Great combination of biology and philosophy of mind, with lots of reasoning based on evolutionary theory. Also, the author is a great observer of wildlife. Finally, I loved his writing style - he doesn’t lecture the reader, instead he brings you along on a voyage with him. He has a definite point of view, but he is humble and is respectful to those who he doesn’t agree with ...more

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Dec 21, 2020 Melissa rated it really liked it

I found this book fascinating. Consciousness is well within my area of expertise as a psychologist, but the further one advances in her education, the more specialized her focus becomes. Metazoa took me all the way back to the history and systems of psychology. I haven’t considered qualia in any meaningful fashion since I was an undergrad! Godfrey-Smith builds an argument, and the process is necessarily a bit tedious, but I learned a lot about consciousness/cognition/minimal cognition in non-mam ...more

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Jan 07, 2022 Mo rated it it was ok

Shelves: hard-to-finish, owned, 2021, non-fiction, biology

Quite disappointed by this book. My high expectations after reading ‘Other Minds’ by the same author (read review here) weren’t met in the slightest. However, there was some interesting food for thought, so I’ll start off with that.

Subjects that interested me

- How animals went from passive eating (diffusion) to grazing to hunting
- How growing a bigger body in evolution could be achieved through either multiplying structures or enlarging them
- The crustacean body: adding body parts as a solu ...more

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May 14, 2021 Helio rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Here are some of the fascinating bits of information gleamed from Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind:

P23 Bacteria from several billion years ago worked like modern day transistors controlling electricity within it - signals from cell to cell using ions

P40 individual cells control traffic in and out a larger unit

P42 Sponges live without brains, heart and backbones

P44 in a sponge a filagree of channels and chimneys keep most cells in contact with water

P54 Box Jellyfish can kill us outr ...more

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Nov 19, 2020 Susan rated it liked it

I so enjoyed Godfrey-Smith's "Other Minds," and was looking for something similar. I was surprised at his Australian accent, having read this book on Audio. I found parts of it, especially the part on Ions and the electrical aspects of mind....somewhat confusing for laymen like me. Listening further, I enjoyed the book, but found the subjects in Other Minds to be more concise and succinct. ...more

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May 16, 2021 Katherine Jones rated it really liked it

This was tough, I cannot be sure that I "got it." I am not a philosopher. This gave me quite a lot to think about. I am going to try to think more about it. A lot more. You might not think this has anything to do with racism or feminism or classism, or any other oppression between humans, but there's a section toward the end where a light just lit right up for me. Tomorrow I'll give the page numbers for that section, so you can see what you think. It was not by any means the point of this book, ...more

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Oct 30, 2021 Alexander Sosnovshchenko rated it really liked it

Shelves: evolution, mind, ai

It was a perfect audiobook to listen to on the beach in between snorkeling dives and during long walks in the forest. It also was a good companion for visiting a natural history museum and packing up my library for a move. It may be less gripping than some other nonfiction bestsellers, but that doesn't make it boring. It just means you need the right kind of atmosphere. Meditative regard of what consciousness is and what it can be and what it might have been in us and other living and not-living ...more

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Feb 15, 2021 Anshuman Swain rated it really liked it

Shelves: ecology-and-evolution

An interesting journey into how consciousness, and sentience can be perceived in organisms around us from both philosophical and biological (both evolutionary and an ecological) viewpoints. I would have given it 5 stars, but gave it 4, as I felt the length of the book could have been shorter and the it be better structured. Overall, I feel it might be difficult to write a book like this and also not give the smaller sidetracked details that make th book noteworthy. (In this dilemma I feel it's a ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 WheeldonHS rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2021-new, philosophy, australian, nature-studies

Firstly, this is a philosophical text and not a scientific text so it is quite light on science and heavy on philosophical speculation.

The author uses their interest in marine life to contemplate consciousness and the divide between the physical (tangible) and non-physical (intangible) self.

I really enjoyed the author's other work - "Other Minds" - however, I found this particular work to be somewhat aimless and less cohesive.

I also found the author's ideas to be somewhat unformed and wishy-wa ...more

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Nov 29, 2021 Tom Walsh rated it it was amazing

As in his book, Other Minds, a wonderful experience watching his mind work and his theories unfurl. More thoughts to follow, but my favorite takeaway is Our Mind is a Garden of things that arise and things that we furnish.

In this amazing book he traces the evolutionary journey of the rise of consciousness from sponges and soft corals through arthropods and cephalopods to Humans. Even more importantly he proposes a theory of the Human Experiential Profile that transcends the mechanical storm of ...more

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Dec 14, 2021 Kxtera Meddins rated it really liked it

some quotes I enjoyed...
- 'I might look like a bit of tissue paper, but right now I really have something to do'
- 'when in doubt, add some legs. add some spatulas to your head'
- 'penis fencing'
- 'seaweedily' ...more

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Mar 11, 2021 Heather Browning rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, uni-texts, philosophy, animals

Peter Godfrey-Smith follows up his Other Minds with another book bringing together his personal experiences scuba-diving with underwater creatures with an account of the evolution of consciousness. This book takes the scene more broadly than just cephalopods, with stories of (among others) fish, crabs, anemones and shrimp framing the scientific and philosophical discussion. His aim is to try and address the 'hard problem' of consciousness (why conscious experience feels like anything at all), an ...more

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Jan 01, 2021 K. Ira rated it it was amazing

I read this immediately after Other minds. I didn't get the feel of major unnecessary overlap.

He attempts to go further along his original concepts of consciousness and the mind and includes various animal life instead of focusing on octopi.

After the first book, this one did not fall short of expectations. ...more

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Dec 26, 2020 Kathleen rated it really liked it

An informative, readable study of the origins of subjective experience in animals. This meeting of philosophy and science is engaging and thought-provoking.

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About Peter Godfrey-Smith

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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I am currently Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center, CUNY (City University of New York), and Professor of History and Philosophy of Science (half-time) at the University of Sydney.

I grew up in Sydney, Australia. My undergraduate degree is from the University of Sydney, and I have a PhD in philosophy from UC San Diego. I taught at Stanford University between 1991 and 2003, a ...more