Other Minds

September 12, 2016
Deftly blending philosophy and evolutionary biology, Godfrey-Smith (Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection), an Australian philosopher of science, uses his passion for cephalopods to address “how consciousness arose from the raw materials found in living beings.” Comparing vertebrate consciousness and intelligence with that of cephalopods is not as odd as it might seem, because “cephalopods are evolution’s only experiment in big brains outside of the vertebrates.” Godfrey-Smith demonstrates that octopuses are constructed from a dramatically different plan than vertebrates, with each of their arms having the ability to act and sense their environment semi-autonomously from their central brains. This striking difference raises intriguing questions about the nature of communication within organisms, as well as about the meaning of intelligence. Godfrey-Smith couples his philosophical and scientific approach with ample and fascinating anecdotes as well as striking photography from his numerous scuba dives off the Australian coast. He makes the case that cephalopods demonstrate a type of intelligence that is largely “alien” to our understanding of the concept but is no less worthy of wonder. He also ponders how and why such intelligence developed in such short-lived creatures (they generally live only a few years). Godfrey-Smith doesn’t provide definitive answers to his questions, but the journey he leads is both thoroughly enjoyable and informative.

February 28, 2017
When we think of intelligence in the animal kingdom, it is usually the mammals that spring to mind, like dogs or chimps—the creatures that we can most easily identify with. Yet evolution has produced a separate branch of animals whose brains and nervous systems are as large and complex as our own, who can learn to manipulate tools, remember intricate navigation routes and recognise individual humans. These are the cephalopods, a group of creatures including squid, cuttlefish and the octopus. What is it like to be an octopus? And what are we to them? In this beautifully balanced book, Australia-born, US-based author and professor Peter Godfrey-Smith writes with both the knowledge of a scientist and the wonder of an observer in an alien world. Interspersed with the history of how these animals evolved is the author’s own deeply personal interactions with them. How is it that these animals are so smart and yet live such short lives? What does this tell us about our own intelligence, and how we judge the consciousness of others? For those who enjoy the works of Fred Pearce, George Monbiot and Sy Montgomery, this is a welcome addition to the field of popular science. Helene Ephraim is a freelance reviewer who has worked as a bookseller and librarian