{"product_id":"metazoa-animal-life-and-the-birth-of-the-mind-9781250800268","title":"Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEnthralling . . . breathtaking . . . \u003ci\u003eMetazoa \u003c\/i\u003ebrings an extraordinary and astute look at our own mind's essential link to the animal world. --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e(Editors' Choice)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA great book . . . [Godfrey-Smith is] brilliant at describing just what he sees, the patterns of behaviour of the animals he observes. --Nigel Warburton, \u003ci\u003eFive Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe scuba-diving philosopher who wrote \u003ci\u003eOther Minds \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the origins of animal consciousness \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDip 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn his acclaimed 2016 book, \u003ci\u003eOther Minds\u003c\/i\u003e, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explored the mind of the octopus--the closest thing to an intelligent alien on Earth. In \u003ci\u003eMetazoa\u003c\/i\u003e, 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, \u003ci\u003eMetazoa\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCombining vivid animal encounters with philosophical reflections and the latest news from biology, \u003ci\u003eMetazoa\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Godfrey-Smith, Peter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/26\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Picador USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781250800268\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.19h x 5.35w x 1.02d","brand":"Peter Godfrey-Smith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39616499417163,"sku":"9781250800268","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_a154784d-742b-4cd8-9da2-6fae2a8c8522.jpg?v=1639487034","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/metazoa-animal-life-and-the-birth-of-the-mind-9781250800268","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}