17. A book involving intelligence

[Stacey]

I read by Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith, which mainly explores the evolution of the fascinating, intelligent cephalopods (octopuses, cuttlefish), along with some info on humans and other living creatures. This book requires lots of focus, so nix your phone and pay attention!

[Robin H-R]

2nd time through I read:
Murder of a Herkimer County Teacher: The Shocking 1914 Case of a Vengeful Student by Dennis Webster

REJECT: A book with a character dealing with mental health or cognitive challenges

Finished: 12/24/2024
Rating: 3 stars

This true crime book involves the early use of insanity as a defense in a murder trial. Some what repetitive, but interesting.

[NancyJ]

Stacey wrote: "I read by Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith, which mainly explores the evolution of the fascinating, int..."

Good to know. I might read it next year. For the animal intelligence interpretation of this prompt I read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?. It was really interesting and talked about all the changes in the way humans study animals. The short answer to the question is “maybe, but humans often let their biases and political attitudes get in the way. “

I would recommend this book to anyone thinking of pursuing a research career in a biology or psychology related field. Mainly because it gives a great picture of how science changes over time, and what the life of a researcher might be like. If you know a young person considering a PhD in science, let them know.