Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

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 species there’s the thread of speculation on what kind of mind these animals have, and how that relates to our own feelings of consciousness and sentience. While the first book approached this topic by focusing on octopuses, here he expands on other minds that we might not specifically label as “sentient� but really challenge any notion of a clear line between sentient and non sentience.

Unlike almost every other philosopher that I’ve read, Godfrey-Smith is amazingly concise and crystal clear. While he’ll reference other philosophies, he’s careful to explain the core ideas without digressing. He generally relies less on other works and more on our own common experience, and carefully explains scenarios in which this is helpful, and others in which our own perspective is biasing our understanding.

Furthermore, his understanding of science is rock solid. He covers a lot of neuroscience (my field), and both explains concepts simply and correctly. He presents really relevant studies involving split brain patients and such that really help explain his idea that consciousness as we know it is a fluid experience that depends on what brain areas you are currently accessing and what that therefore means for species with and without such areas.
(To be completed later)