Figments of reality : the evolution of the curious mind / Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen.
By: Stewart, Ian
.
Contributor(s): Cohen, Jack.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1997Description: xiii, 325 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. + hbk.ISBN: 0521571553 .Subject(s): Cognition and culture | Consciousness | Intellect | Genetic psychology | Pluralism (Social sciences)DDC classification: 153.42 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Lending | MTU Bishopstown Library Lending | 153.42 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00069035 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
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.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-316) and index.
Prologue -- 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.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Preface
- Prologue
- 1 The origins of life
- 2 The reductionist nightmare
- 3 Ant country
- 4 Winning ways
- 5 Universals and parochials
- 6 Neural nests
- 7 Features great and small
- 8 What is it like to be a human?
- 9 We wanted to have a chapter on free will, but we decided not to, so here it is
- 10 Extelligence
- 11 Simplex, complex, multiplex
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Further reading
- Index
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Mathematics and geometry professor Stewart, who writes the "mathematical recreations" column in Scientific American, and biologist Cohen are witty, erudite, clever, at times funny, and generally clearheaded in this rationalist's view of the universe and human evolution. Their thesis is that the human mind evolved in response to the complexity of the world and that languageand, indeed, cultureare inextricable parts of this process: there could be no mind without evolution but no evolution without mind. As is apparently mandatory in books on this subject, the authors include examples, anecdotes, and samples from literally every field of human and animal endeavor to illustrate, illuminate, and elucidate their thesis, making their case by seemingly having on hand millions of bits of information. A delightful but heavy read that is excellent for academic collections and general collections with a highly literate readership.Mark L. Shelton, Univ. of Massachusetts Medical Ctr., Worcester (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Ian Stewart is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, UK, and Professor of Mathematics at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. In 1995 he was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday medal.Jack Cohen is an internationally known reproductive biologist who was a university teacher for thirty years and has published nearly a hundred research papers. He acts as a consultant to top science fiction writers and frequently appears on radio and television.