hand.henry_505Description
The human brain is an astonishing thing. No other life form on the planet has a brain like ours. How did such a unique brain emerge? How did a bundle of cells weighing just 1.2 kg give rise to conscious, self‑aware beings capable of understanding time, language, mathematics, and music, of exploring outer space and sequencing their own DNA? From what curious blend of nature and nurture did such astonishing intelligence arise? The answer to these questions and more is a 7-million-year-long saga. It is the story of how the human brain evolved.
How the Mind Changed is the definitive book on the evolution of the human mind. A sweeping natural history, it describes the remarkable origin of our species' most mysterious organ and how it has developed into its miraculous modern form. How the Mind Changed also sets out to answer existential questions about what the future holds in store for our brains. Will brain‑computer interfaces change human life? Can humans free their minds from the confines of biology and achieve digital immortality? What are the implications of such advances ‑‑ will the self evolve also?
Drawing on the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, How the Mind Changed is a fascinating, in‑depth look at where the organ that truly makes us human comes from ‑‑ and where it is going.
Thora Casper @hand.henry_505
August 29, 2022
4
I enjoyed this book. It is a fun, well-written story that was hard to put down. I found it easy to read, with its conversational tone and clearly-explained science. I also enjoyed the author’s anecdotes. Although the section wasn’t long, the discussion of consciousness is one of the best I’ve read. I also liked how the book uses stories of people to initiate discussion. I also appreciated the discussion of what may come. A lot of books fall down at this point, but this one stayed true to the rest of the book. This is a book that is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advance reader copy.