Figments of reality : the evolution of the curious mind / Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stewart, Ian, 1945- author.

Cohen, Jack, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cognition and culture.

Consciousness.

Intellect.

Genetic psychology.

Cultural pluralism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 325 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Is the universe around us a figment of our imagination? Or are our minds figments of reality? In this refreshing new look at the evolution of mind and culture, bestselling authors Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen eloquently argue that our minds necessarily evolved inextricably within the context of culture and language. They go beyond conventional reductionist ideas to look at how the mind is the response of an evolving brain trying to grapple with a complex environment. Along the way they develop new and intriguing insights into the nature of evolution, science and humanity.

Contents:

The origins of life

The reductionist nightmare

Ant country

Winning ways

Universals and parochials

Neural nests

Features great and small

What is it like to be a human?

We wanted to have a chapter on free will, but we decided not to, so here it is

Extelligence

Simplex, complex, multiplex.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-316) and index.

ISBN:

1-107-11102-1

0-511-00336-6

1-280-42918-6

0-511-17217-6

0-511-14898-4

0-511-30942-2

0-511-54138-4

0-511-05366-5

OCLC:

475870095