Metazoa
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Peter Godfrey-Smith
- ISBN：0008321205
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Summary
Combining science， philosophy， and his own observations gleaned from "watery hours" spent scuba diving， Godfrey-Smith （history， philosophy of science， Univ。 of Sydney; Theory and Reality） examines the origins of animal consciousness。 In his work， Other Minds， the author focused on octopuses; here， the book's "tentacular form" shows him considering several animal groups as he investigates the puzzle of how subjective awareness came to exist。 This is no dry， academic treatise; Godfrey-Smith takes care to keep the work accessible by summarizing key points， explaining the work of relevant scientists and philosophers， and punctuating the text with memorable facts。 The book is enlivened by the wit and affection with which the author often regards his subjects of study。 He writes， for example， of the arthropod way of evolving （"when in doubt， add some legs"） or the mantis shrimp's odd appearance （"a head festooned with golf clubs and party lights"）。 An astonishing range of creatures are considered and a fascinating argument advanced about how evolutionary innovations can give rise to animal minds。
Reviews
Megan S
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Intriguing book， just a bit too heavy in philosophical pondering。 It did reframe some really interesting questions around consciousness and evolution。 I would recommend it！
N
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Disappointingly thin。 I enjoy Nigel Warburton's writing， and got this off his 5books recommendation。 Philosophy of consciousness + Scuba diving seemed a very difficult combination to get wrong， and the ideas are quite beautiful。 Maybe if this were combined with Other Minds into a single book it'd have enough material and density。 The references to concepts/thinkers of philosophy are so conspicuously absent I must conclude it was intended， but I can't see why， not when the science fleetingly invo Disappointingly thin。 I enjoy Nigel Warburton's writing， and got this off his 5books recommendation。 Philosophy of consciousness + Scuba diving seemed a very difficult combination to get wrong， and the ideas are quite beautiful。 Maybe if this were combined with Other Minds into a single book it'd have enough material and density。 The references to concepts/thinkers of philosophy are so conspicuously absent I must conclude it was intended， but I can't see why， not when the science fleetingly invoked is entirely speculative and trying in all its unassuming humility to be neither authoritative nor particularly compelling。 NotesNeurotoxins aren’t harmful， don’t damage tissue， interfere with connection/coordination， also why it is fastest toxin。 Kill the body by attacking the messengers。Cells communicate generally， sending out msgs to whoever’s listening。 Nervous system makes this targeted and specific， running a long message chain， unifying a collection of varied cells。The sponge has a post-cellular unity， electric potential travels across the length of it as if through a single cell。 （Evolution’s big blob after the primates， no individuality）A circulatory system is an agreement， like transfer pricing for an integrated supply chain， that incentivizes cell specialization and unification into a multicellular organism。 Mostly sees with 1 eye， so no depth perception。 Bobs head around to get visual input from different angles and gauge distance。 Very subtle cognitive task of balancing reafference （difference in stimuli based on internal action） and exafference （external changes）Sits and watches 2 nudies close enough to see/notice them approach each other。。。 long enough to notice they take the direct and shortest pathSits and watches interpersonal dynamics between reef denizens， who is affected， who isn't， who's dominant， who's submissive and in what unique way。 Amazing observation， buoyancy control and patience。Octopuses chilled out in normal reefs。 But stressed and active in Octopolis where there are many other octopi。 1 Oct can’t hardly hurt another， too soft。 If much larger， perhaps can strangle， but otherwise harmless fighting。 2/3rd of Octopus neurons distributed in arms。 So does it have 1+1 mind or 1 mind or 1+8？ Both， all， none。Cetacean brains got larger after they went back to the sea， not before。 Surprising difficulty of land: swallowing。 In water， can just suck in food with water since they’re of comparable densitiesLand as prerequisite for complex life because energy-transfer is highly efficient and capable of concentration。 。。。more
Kirsten
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What is indicative of subjectivity in other living organisms？ At what points and with which configurations of cells manifest awareness？Repercussions for AI-thinkers for sure。 Lovely。
A
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This book explores what is a mind and how this phenomenon appeared in the animal world。 There is A LOT in this book， and sometimes it is not an easy read （sometimes is simply dry and confusing to be honest）。 However I have to say in general is well written， although there is too much opinion from philosophers （they are important， but not that important to be honest， other professionals have more relevant things to say about these topics）。In general the writing flows well and it is well ordered （ This book explores what is a mind and how this phenomenon appeared in the animal world。 There is A LOT in this book， and sometimes it is not an easy read （sometimes is simply dry and confusing to be honest）。 However I have to say in general is well written， although there is too much opinion from philosophers （they are important， but not that important to be honest， other professionals have more relevant things to say about these topics）。In general the writing flows well and it is well ordered （except chapter 5 which is dense）， although I'm afraid in the areas where the author talks about AI it is clearly the author is out of his area of expertise。 。。。more
Mark Nelson
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I thought this book had a pretty clear thesis statement。 Unfortunately， I don't think it did a very good job of pursuing it。What you get instead is a book that is a long collection of fairly intriguing facts， but nothing pulling the whole thing togethre。 I thought this book had a pretty clear thesis statement。 Unfortunately， I don't think it did a very good job of pursuing it。What you get instead is a book that is a long collection of fairly intriguing facts， but nothing pulling the whole thing togethre。 。。。more
Artem
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Awesome book， regret that it is so small and that author has so few books
Joe Stack
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This is a brilliantly written book addressing the question of what is consciousness and how did it evolve。 The author's writing and discourse on the evolution of the mind is clear， such as， "What is special about the brain is the combination， with all the local cell-to-cell influences--organizing stimuli from sensory surfaces， crating coordinated action--and the large-scale activity patterns as well。 All this was shaped by evolution; it is not something that nature just spontaneously produces。 I This is a brilliantly written book addressing the question of what is consciousness and how did it evolve。 The author's writing and discourse on the evolution of the mind is clear， such as， "What is special about the brain is the combination， with all the local cell-to-cell influences--organizing stimuli from sensory surfaces， crating coordinated action--and the large-scale activity patterns as well。 All this was shaped by evolution; it is not something that nature just spontaneously produces。 It evolved to enable action and its control。"The author's examination of what makes us， us， takes the reader from the simplest of cells to the most complex organisms。 While his writing continually displays his affection and admiration of the biological world， he also provides much to ponder in giving the reader the results of the many branches of evolution。 There is a lot of challenging information。 This reader may have to read a number of sections over and over; not necessarily at one sitting， but to come back to a number of times。 This is particularly true with "The Octopus" chapter in which the author moves from octopuses to a fascinating examination of issues with the human brain。 A stunningly thought-provoking chapter。Early in the book， the author writes， "Our minds are arrangements and activities in matter and energy。 Those arrangements are evolutionary products; they are slowly brought into being。 But those arrangements， once they exist， are not 'causes' of minds; they 'are' minds。 Brain processes are not causes of thoughts and experiences; they 'are' thoughts and experiences。" Read this book to enjoy how he supports this observation， and along the way， broaden your appreciation of other life forms。 。。。more
Nathan
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I
Vickie
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I was disappointed in this book。 Although I learned a few things， I thought it was too long snd too repetitive。 I felt like I was reading “A Man Called Ove”。 He was constantly saying “as I said in the previous chapter”。 I remember being told that when you write an essay， you start by telling what you want to say， say it， and then tell what you said。 It wasn’t supposed to be done that way for every chapter， but that’s what reading this book felt like。
Katherine Jones
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This was tough， I cannot be sure that I "got it。" I am not a philosopher。 This gave me quite a lot to think about。 I am going to try to think more about it。 A lot more。 You might not think this has anything to do with racism or feminism or classism， or any other oppression between humans， but there's a section toward the end where a light just lit right up for me。 Tomorrow I'll give the page numbers for that section， so you can see what you think。 It was not by any means the point of this book， This was tough， I cannot be sure that I "got it。" I am not a philosopher。 This gave me quite a lot to think about。 I am going to try to think more about it。 A lot more。 You might not think this has anything to do with racism or feminism or classism， or any other oppression between humans， but there's a section toward the end where a light just lit right up for me。 Tomorrow I'll give the page numbers for that section， so you can see what you think。 It was not by any means the point of this book， I just found it resonated。Read the paragraph on page 137 that begins: What shape does sentience， felt experience， consciousness 。。。This is almost the end of the book， so read to the end。But this is the sentence that resonated with me， on page 138: It is a place where scenes can be built， tales can be told， and present circumstances set aside。This book makes me realize that when I use my mind to imagine other peoples' lives to include the same desires， challenges， fears， and dreams as mine， I can accept them， no matter who they are， as equals。 And I am thereby fulfilling the potential of being human。I believe I have been very good at this， but to do it with this level of intention can only help improve that effort， and help mitigate the divisiveness in this country。 。。。more
Helio
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Here are some of the fascinating bits of information gleamed from Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind:P23 Bacteria from several billion years ago worked like modern day transistors controlling electricity within it - signals from cell to cell using ionsP40 individual cells control traffic in and out a larger unitP42 Sponges live without brains， heart and backbonesP44 in a sponge a filagree of channels and chimneys keep most cells in contact with waterP54 Box Jellyfish can kill us outr Here are some of the fascinating bits of information gleamed from Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind:P23 Bacteria from several billion years ago worked like modern day transistors controlling electricity within it - signals from cell to cell using ionsP40 individual cells control traffic in and out a larger unitP42 Sponges live without brains， heart and backbonesP44 in a sponge a filagree of channels and chimneys keep most cells in contact with waterP54 Box Jellyfish can kill us outright; a harpoon is coiled inside a cell surrounded by sensing cells and other controllers in a "battery" P62 Nervous systems evolved somewhere before the split to mammalsP66 around 560 million years ago （mya） fossils show more diverse body plans; there are still no fins or legs but fossil traces show animals coul moveP69 Three stages of Edacaran: Avalon， White Sea & Nama。 Organisms include: Charnia， Thectartis， Fractofusus， Dickinsonia， Arborea， Coroncollina， Spriggina， Helminthoidichnites， Kimberella， Swarpuntia， Cloudina， & Rangea。P72 the last common ancestor of a butterfly and us lived as long ago as the common ancestor of us and an octopus。 There are no bilaterians on land。P82 the Cambrian of 540 mya had Anomalocaris， Pikea， Opabinia （related to athropods） and Cheirurus （a trilobite）P83 Sensing （touching， chemicals， light， magnetic fields） was known in cellular life （it wasn't invented by animals）P87 the ability to move has costs or liabilities: the world becomes more confusingP88/89 the only animal not a mammal or bird （and few do） to pass the mirror test is a Cleaner FishP99 a decorator crab encourages sponge to grow on its body; it does this more completely than hermit crabs who use anemonesP124 when an octopus would touch a seahorse > neither would be botheredP128 Octopuses given MDMA （Ecstasy） became more friendly and gregariousP132 various vertebrate animals have left eye preference for handling social interactions and a right eye preference for handling foodP138 Female octopuses throw more when making dens and tend to build and maintain better dens than malesP147 Athropods and cephalopods were the first large predators in the seaP167 By the late Devonian （360 mya） jawless fish were fading; jawed forms had diversified - jaws were the decisive invention （420 mya）P168 Sharks settled early on their design and have merely fine tuned it since thenP171 from early days fish had good eyes and a more distinctive sensory invention - the lateral line system， a form of touchP174 some fish （eg sharks） can sense electric fieldsP178 Fish have learned to distinguish different styles of music: blues from classical （and not just the quirks of one performer）; they could extrapolate from one blues artist to another。 That is quite an abstract feat of pattern recognition。 A lot goes on inside a fish。P179 Jean Paul Sartre （who had a fear of crabs， octopi and other sea creatures） wrote "Hell is other people。" In the case of fish it appears that heaven is other fish。 They are quite social。P182 the fish body is built for motionP204 Arthropods have made seven （or more） separate moves on to land （before vertebrates）P206 Bees are sometimes compared to octopuses; bees have smaller brains （one cubic mm） but pack a great deal of complexity in that spaceP207 Bees are masters of logical abstraction and intricate physical construction。 They are very task focused。 Bees got a two step puzzle task right away。 Octopi got it through a lot of random exploratory manipulation。 Bees solved it through internal computation。P213 Bees can be be induced to be upbeat or optimistic。 Good moods are also seen in fish。P220 Plant life: green algae made their way onto land （perhaps in the Ordovician） and grew into mosses， ferns and huge trees。P221 Darwin thought you might find a plant brain in its roots - a lot of action takes place underground。 Climbing plants have to make many more decisions than other plants。P222 Climbers and vines are later arrivals in plant evolution。 Almost all are flowering plants， a metabolically high-powered group that arose in the age of dinosaurs， and replaced conifer type plants and angiosperms。Inside a plant is a great deal of signaling。 When a leaf of an Arabidopsis is chewed by a caterpillar a signal is sent to neighbouring leaves （glutamite is released in one cell and affects ions in another）。 An undamaged leaf， some distance away， can prepare itself in minutes。P229 Lobe-finned fishes gave rise to land vertebrates and intiated radiations of terrestial mammals and birds。P230 when a fish seizes food， swallowing is easy by sucking it in with water。 On dry land that sucking motion brings in a lot of air and leaves the food where it is。 The invention of the jaw only goes so far。P231 An early ammonite split into two lines; two branches of vertebrates grew out and radiated。 The Synapsids were larger， more diverse and more numerous but suffered a colossal mass extinction。 The Sauropsids （including dinosaurs） who had been lurking in less conspicious forms， took over。P233 Cephalapods evolved* large decentralized nervous systems and produced a capacity for manipulation。 An octopus can readily manipulate an object no octopus has handled before。P234 Endothermy arose independently within Sauropsids and Synapsids [sure sure - another magically propitious timely development]P235 with endothermy， a body and brain became a high-energy system， consuming more oxygen。P241 Eutherian mammals （placentals） are the only animals with a corpus callosumP243 dolphin ancestors， relatives of the hippopotami， returned to the sea 49 mya。 Baleen whales split from toothed whales 34 myaP251 Psychology distinguishes between four or five types of memory: Synaptic is memory of facts; Procedural retains the ability to do things; Episodic is memory of experienced things; Working is the momentary retention of ideas and images as they are manipulated。P252 a forward looking faculty brings with it an ablity to make up pastsP254 Dreams， it is hypothesized， are junk， getting rid of useless and disorganized information。 Other views treat dreams as a kind of modeling， a turning over and recombining of possiblities with replay of past experience to consolidate memory。 These views treat dreaming as continous。P256 In cuttlefish and octopi skin colors are controlled by the brain and the entire pattern can be changed in less than a second。 Skin patterns are a direct reflection of the animals moment-to-momant brain activity。 These creatures skin is truly a window in。* i hate that word but am remaining true to the text （it implies "magical change all by itself"）Typed using EasyKeyB 。。。more
Dan
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An interesting book， with a more coherent narrative than "Other Minds" （which I found to be more a collection of essays）。 However， "Other Minds" regularly contained facts and theories that I found astonishing， providing unpredictable insights into disparate cognition systems。 Whereas "Metazoa" was still fascinating， I found fewer astonishing facts and theories in its pages。 Relating the complexity of the nervous system to the depths of consciousness is a relatively intuitive overall theme， where An interesting book， with a more coherent narrative than "Other Minds" （which I found to be more a collection of essays）。 However， "Other Minds" regularly contained facts and theories that I found astonishing， providing unpredictable insights into disparate cognition systems。 Whereas "Metazoa" was still fascinating， I found fewer astonishing facts and theories in its pages。 Relating the complexity of the nervous system to the depths of consciousness is a relatively intuitive overall theme， whereas I found myself constantly surprised by the authors previous work （hence Metazoa's 4 stars compared to the earlier work's 5 stars）。Nonetheless， "Metazoa" is still a wonderful book in its own right。 I particularly enjoyed its statements on insects， with its conclusions on the possibility of mood without more "primitive" experiences （i。e。 pain）。 The latter half of the book， which focuses on neural rhythms and brainwaves， contained the sort of surprising， new information I was looking for。 。。。more
Chaitalee Ghosalkar
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DNF'd at 10%Note to self- read the book blurb carefully before selecting a book。 Because the title can be misleading。 A marriage of science and philosophy is a definite no-no for me。 One positive was the handful pics of sea creatures towards the end of the book。 Small mercies of life！ DNF'd at 10%Note to self- read the book blurb carefully before selecting a book。 Because the title can be misleading。 A marriage of science and philosophy is a definite no-no for me。 One positive was the handful pics of sea creatures towards the end of the book。 Small mercies of life！ 。。。more
Pieter
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Expected a bit more biological details on the evolutionary processes， but the philosophy did make me think and it was an overall enjoyable read。
Cheryl Armstrong
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A work about 'the birth of the mind'， not only in humans， but animals as well。 I really loved this work。 I 'gobbled up' the initial chapters， 2/3 of the way through I was 'lost' as the philosophy & 'arguments' became dense & intellectual， but forged on & thoroughly enjoyed the last few chapters。 I now understand the brain & mind in a new way （& animal evolution， as well。） A work about 'the birth of the mind'， not only in humans， but animals as well。 I really loved this work。 I 'gobbled up' the initial chapters， 2/3 of the way through I was 'lost' as the philosophy & 'arguments' became dense & intellectual， but forged on & thoroughly enjoyed the last few chapters。 I now understand the brain & mind in a new way （& animal evolution， as well。） 。。。more
Dave
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I just read Other Minds last week and gave it a relatively bad review because I already knew he'd written this newer book on essentially the same topic。 A lot of the bad reviews for this one seem to be from people who were fans of his first book and thought this wasn't as interesting。 I totally disagree though。 I'm not exactly a huge fan of this one either but I would at least say that it makes more sense to read this than the older one。 When I was reading Other Minds it felt like he didn't real I just read Other Minds last week and gave it a relatively bad review because I already knew he'd written this newer book on essentially the same topic。 A lot of the bad reviews for this one seem to be from people who were fans of his first book and thought this wasn't as interesting。 I totally disagree though。 I'm not exactly a huge fan of this one either but I would at least say that it makes more sense to read this than the older one。 When I was reading Other Minds it felt like he didn't really have a full book's worth of material when focusing entirely on octopuses and cuttlefish。 I kept wanting him to talk more about other species the way this one does。 So I'd say this is at least an improvement over his previous work， and a much more worthwhile read。 Part of the reason that fans of Other Minds didn't like it is as much is probably just because such a large chunk of the book is spent summarizing ideas that they'd already read。 That's my theory anyway。 I had also criticized Other Minds for talking so matter-of-factly about the animal experiments he uses for his information。 This book at least gets a little bit more into a discussion on cruelty and ethical treatment， still falling way short in my opinion but at least saying some decent things about it。 His view is basically that the greater good benefits enough from the sacrifice of a relative few that it justifies some cruelty。 He specifically says that these findings are what's giving humanity the appreciation to respect animals， which I find pretty hard to agree with when you compare the views of illiterate indigenous groups all around the world to those that have developed since the enlightenment。 It just doesn't seem all that revolutionary to me to prove that insects and other simpler creatures have some sort of consciousness。 And even after something like 600 pages of this guy's writing I'm still not even sure that I totally get how he's differentiating between "sentient" and "conscious。" His writing style is pretty confusing， especially considering that this is one of those pop science books that's meant to appeal mainly to laypeople。 Most of what he says feels very speculative as well， so even though it's interesting enough to be worth reading， it really just raises more questions than answers。 I wouldn't say that's entirely a bad thing， just not as good as it probably could be。 And how does a book on the different ways for minds to experience life not have a single word on psychedelics？ That's so crazy to me。 。。。more
Roy Kenagy
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DMPL
Mehtap exotiquetv
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Other Minds war schon ein Buch was ich sehr gern gelesen hatte。 Dieses hier richtet sich an die Unterwasserwelt aber auch an Landtiere und wie sie sich entwickelt haben und ob sie „Bewusstsein“ haben könnten。 Korallen， Seeschwämme， Fische und co - mit allen sind wir verwandt - auch wenn wir sehr unterschiedlich aussehen mögen。 Der Taucher Godfrey taucht ein in diese Welt und erklärt ihre körperliche Komposition und warum der direkte Vergleich zu unserer Art von Sein deutlich hinkt aber man diese Other Minds war schon ein Buch was ich sehr gern gelesen hatte。 Dieses hier richtet sich an die Unterwasserwelt aber auch an Landtiere und wie sie sich entwickelt haben und ob sie „Bewusstsein“ haben könnten。 Korallen， Seeschwämme， Fische und co - mit allen sind wir verwandt - auch wenn wir sehr unterschiedlich aussehen mögen。 Der Taucher Godfrey taucht ein in diese Welt und erklärt ihre körperliche Komposition und warum der direkte Vergleich zu unserer Art von Sein deutlich hinkt aber man diese Lebewesen trotzdem nicht unterschätzen sollte。Im zweiten Teil des Buches führt ihn die Evolution auf Land und dort spricht er über Bäume， Vögel und co。 。。。more
Eli
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Certainly eye opening about animal behavior。 When it got philosophical he lost me a bit， it seemed sort of abstract。
Charlie
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This is an amazing， amazing book。 I struggled with it at first and had to start over and reread it， and it was well worth it。 It's not that it was that hard to read but it introduced so many， for me， new ways in thinking that it really was mind-expanding。 I didn't want to miss a single morsel。 I enjoyed it so much I may now have a small crush on the author！ This is an amazing， amazing book。 I struggled with it at first and had to start over and reread it， and it was well worth it。 It's not that it was that hard to read but it introduced so many， for me， new ways in thinking that it really was mind-expanding。 I didn't want to miss a single morsel。 I enjoyed it so much I may now have a small crush on the author！ 。。。more
Judith
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Loved the book。 I'd read his octopus book first。。。which I also liked。 I appreciated the journey through millions of years with different sorts of animals， exploring the idea of sentience/consciousness/experience。 He is very convincing with his final thoughts that consciousness is a field。。。the mind is - yes， the brain - but more than that。。。as neurons outside the brain experience and feed into the whole field。 From the octopus， to hermit crabs， to dolphins， to us。。。there is no 'flipping the swit Loved the book。 I'd read his octopus book first。。。which I also liked。 I appreciated the journey through millions of years with different sorts of animals， exploring the idea of sentience/consciousness/experience。 He is very convincing with his final thoughts that consciousness is a field。。。the mind is - yes， the brain - but more than that。。。as neurons outside the brain experience and feed into the whole field。 From the octopus， to hermit crabs， to dolphins， to us。。。there is no 'flipping the switch'， but rather a becoming， or watercolorish range of sentience。 Which begs the question， what should we do about that？ How should we treat these consciousnesses？ 。。。more
Tutankhamun18
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This book flirted with the idea of being very interesting but never quite made it。 Lots of very interesting points made and an attempt was made to pull them all together， but this was not really realised in a compelling way - it was a bit boring。Having read Godfrey-Smith’s Other Minds aswell， I must conclude that his writing style is not for me。 My favourite chapter was Chapter 2 The Glass Sponge were he charts the evolution of the early ocean and the first animsl， investigating cnidarians， how This book flirted with the idea of being very interesting but never quite made it。 Lots of very interesting points made and an attempt was made to pull them all together， but this was not really realised in a compelling way - it was a bit boring。Having read Godfrey-Smith’s Other Minds aswell， I must conclude that his writing style is not for me。 My favourite chapter was Chapter 2 The Glass Sponge were he charts the evolution of the early ocean and the first animsl， investigating cnidarians， how single cells competed with each other in ways similiar to how multi cellular animals compete， what the fundamentals of a nervous system are （combo of excitability and chemical signaling） and their close association with muscle and the sensitivity that may or lay not come for “free” as we need vague awareness of what our muscles are interacting with。 Another Chapter I really liked was Chapter 8 On Land， which primarily explores pain perception in animals including insects compared to humans。 It looks at sensory perception and conciousness; making the distinction between sensory （perception， point of view， sensing whats going on） and evaluative conciousness （pain， pleasure and marking of events as good or bad）。 For example， honeybees seem to demonstrate nociceptive sensitization， which is heightened sensitivity after damage that alters behaviour to other stimuli and choices - overall weariness/caution that can last hours， days or weeks。。。 pervasive positivity or negativity。 。。。more
Jeffrey
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This is an outstanding read for anyone who enjoys philosophy and marine biology。
Sonja
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A fascinating journey into the mind from the vantage point of evolution。 Reading this book that was sometimes difficult to comprehend and take in made me realize the actual point of the book which is that everyone has a mind of their own。 It comes from experiences and feelings and thinking。 So that reading a book is like entering someone else’s garden of the mind。 Can we ever get it fully？ Just as in a poem or even a conversation that we may absorb。 In a way it becomes part of our background bra A fascinating journey into the mind from the vantage point of evolution。 Reading this book that was sometimes difficult to comprehend and take in made me realize the actual point of the book which is that everyone has a mind of their own。 It comes from experiences and feelings and thinking。 So that reading a book is like entering someone else’s garden of the mind。 Can we ever get it fully？ Just as in a poem or even a conversation that we may absorb。 In a way it becomes part of our background brain or our consciousness。 It’s all so amazing to think about— and what we don’t know about animals and trees and other sentient beings。 。。。more
Paul E。
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From the book: "Nothing is gained biologically from taking in information that is not put to use。 The evolution of the mind includes the coupled evolution of agency and subjectivity。" Very insightful！ This book describes and compares the very simple "mind" of single-celled organisms to many animals of increasing complexity， from primitive bath-mat-like organisms absorbing organic matter on the sea floor to plants and animals living on land。 By understanding the minds of these organism all the way From the book: "Nothing is gained biologically from taking in information that is not put to use。 The evolution of the mind includes the coupled evolution of agency and subjectivity。" Very insightful！ This book describes and compares the very simple "mind" of single-celled organisms to many animals of increasing complexity， from primitive bath-mat-like organisms absorbing organic matter on the sea floor to plants and animals living on land。 By understanding the minds of these organism all the way down to single-celled organisms， one can hope to better understand one's own mind and the mind of others。 The book looks at many examples of organisms at different levels of complexity， showing many examples of how they are able to engage in more complex thinking and behaviors。The book also has a nice reference section to look up the research on the things that author has mentioned。 A few interesting things the book discusses:- How single-celled organisms have something similar to the biological equivalent of a computer transistor。 - The primitive "moral code" of cleaner fish- Why some cleaner fish will use their fins to massage the fish they are cleaner， even though it doesn't remove parasites- How the ability for sensing and the ability for action develop in tandem with each other - The development of a sense of self in relationship an organism's ability for sensing and actions- Why land animals only have bi-lateral bodies- Social interaction between animals， including how it fits in the brain and how it can drive the development of intelligence- Potential ways to distinguish between nociception vs pain- Why wound tending is not done insects but is often done in animals 。。。more
Peggy
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I enjoyed diving information and the information about animal life and its evolution （at least that's what we used to call it）。 The author educated me to some extent on the new thoughts about developmental progression。 His philosophical musings， presented and then argued away with different thoughts annoyed me as I guess most philosophical musings do。 I enjoyed diving information and the information about animal life and its evolution （at least that's what we used to call it）。 The author educated me to some extent on the new thoughts about developmental progression。 His philosophical musings， presented and then argued away with different thoughts annoyed me as I guess most philosophical musings do。 。。。more
Eva Prappas
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this was a super interesting read！ picked it up initially because of the evolutionary bio aspect， but all the psychological stuff ended up being really intriguing， especially since it was all so clearly explained and i didn’t need much prior understanding。 i love how the concepts started off pretty basic and everything else was built up from that foundation over the course of the book， it made everything a lot easier to follow。
Craig Werner
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A bit disappointing， especially in comparison with Godfrey-Smith's previous book， Other Minds， an entrancing investigation of cephalopod intelligence （octopuses， squid， cuttlefish。。。）。 Metazoa sets out to develop the philosophical implications of that work by tracking the evolution of "consciousness"--the term itself， as Godfrey-Smith acknowledges is tricky， maybe "sentience" but not quite "intelligence。" His strategy is a bit like Richard Dawkins' The Ancestor's Tale， focusing on moments when l A bit disappointing， especially in comparison with Godfrey-Smith's previous book， Other Minds， an entrancing investigation of cephalopod intelligence （octopuses， squid， cuttlefish。。。）。 Metazoa sets out to develop the philosophical implications of that work by tracking the evolution of "consciousness"--the term itself， as Godfrey-Smith acknowledges is tricky， maybe "sentience" but not quite "intelligence。" His strategy is a bit like Richard Dawkins' The Ancestor's Tale， focusing on moments when large branches of the "tree of life"--again， the metaphor's inexact at best and in some ways deceptive--split from one another。 His basic argument is that the key terms are "point of view，" "sensing" and ";agency"--that consciousness emerges from beings in a specific location registering the world around them and doing something in it。 That's what it means， for him， to experience "like a sea sponge" or "like an octopus，" etc。 The problem is that he's not as adept with philosophy as he is with natural observations and that his uncertainties， while real， swamp the narrative。 It's worth reading for the descriptions and the central idea is intriguing and fairly convincing。 But the read bogged down for me and I more or less skimmed the last couple of chapters。 If you haven't read it， read Other Minds before considering Metazoa。 。。。more
Marianne Wason
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A great read， well worth the work it might take to follow the scientific and philosophical reasoning。 I'll read it again -- in fact I bought a copy after reading a library copy， so I can mark it up （spill coffee on the pages， etc。）。I just entered a three-star review for Alan Lightman's Probable Impossibilities， noting that I got so bogged down at times that I didn't finish it。 In their pursuit of ideas the two books， Lightman's and Godfrey-Smith's， are generally similar， so why did I relish the A great read， well worth the work it might take to follow the scientific and philosophical reasoning。 I'll read it again -- in fact I bought a copy after reading a library copy， so I can mark it up （spill coffee on the pages， etc。）。I just entered a three-star review for Alan Lightman's Probable Impossibilities， noting that I got so bogged down at times that I didn't finish it。 In their pursuit of ideas the two books， Lightman's and Godfrey-Smith's， are generally similar， so why did I relish the one and give up on the other？ Who knows， but as I write this thought comes up: "I didn't like Lightman， the person。" That's not a good basis for judging a book， but it can lead one to close an unfinished book and say "enough。" 。。。more
J
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No review yet。Just interesting excerpts， p。 #’s。p。21Charge is not life-like or mental in itself。 It produces much of what happens in the inanimate world as well as the animate。 But living activity runs on charge， especially by the corralling， pumping， herding， and unleashing of ions。p。26btw。 single-cell organism & world: “That feature is traffic， a to-and-fro between living systems and their surroundings。 This traffic includes the flow of ions described above， also the taking in of raw materials No review yet。Just interesting excerpts， p。 #’s。p。21Charge is not life-like or mental in itself。 It produces much of what happens in the inanimate world as well as the animate。 But living activity runs on charge， especially by the corralling， pumping， herding， and unleashing of ions。p。26btw。 single-cell organism & world: “That feature is traffic， a to-and-fro between living systems and their surroundings。 This traffic includes the flow of ions described above， also the taking in of raw materials and elimination of waste。 Cells are bounded， but they are not closed to the world。”p。26Living cells are physical objects， but unlike any other object we are familiar with。 They build membranes to contain and shape storms of activity。 They are bounded， but forever dependent on traffic across those boundaries。 Self-defining， self-maintaining， cells are selves。 nasal consciousness （ background consciousness）p。29This open-sphere idea， with or without collaborating microbes inside， is like a second iteration of the evolution of cells。 In the first case， we had the formation of a boundary， with channels across it， forming a unit that controls chemical reactions。 Here， we have many cells and they form a hollow sphere， another object with an inside and an outside。 Individual cells are each now pieces of the sphere， and they control traffic in and out of this larger unit。p。30The pre-animal world was a world of single-celled predators and prey， and one option for those wanting to avoid ending up as prey is to become too big to comfortably engulf。 Then when cells have come together to make animals， action has to be reinvented at the larger scale。 New kinds of coordination are needed。 p。38 When a cell excites—a sudden shift in its electrical properties—this event is usually confined to that one cell。 It is restricted by the boundaries that mark off the cell as a unit。 But one thing such a spasm can do is trigger the release of a chemical at the cell’s boundary， a chemical that can be picked up by another nearby cell。 This in turn may make the second cell more （or less） likely to go through its own electrical changes。 Chemical signaling together with excitability are central to how a nervous system works。p。40。Nothing is gained biologically from taking in information that is not put to use。 The evolution of the mind includes the coupled evolution of agency and subjectivity。 p。46This is the first fossil evidence of scavenging， of an animal consuming the dead。 It is also the first physical trace of targeted motion， movement aimed at a goal that is sensed。 Initially the targets were dead bodies， but scavenging has natural transitions to predation， especially when the prey is stationary or slow。p。47with more oxygen， textured living surfaces developed。 They became a resource for grazing， encouraging slow movement along the mat。 Grazing leads to a concentration of resources in animal bodies， which then die。 This makes the environment more patchy—there is lots of food here， less there。 Motion becomes more valuable， as does the ability to follow scents in the sea， to track things down。p。50The bilaterian body， with its left-right symmetry， was an innovation especially in the realm of action。 The bilaterian body is set up to go somewhere。 There are no non-bilaterian animals at all on dry land—no crawling or walking jellyfish， no anemones with their fingers out in the air （though there are some that live in the intertidal）。 Bilaterian bodies seem to have begun on a marine version of the land: the seafloor。 They are bodies made for crawling over surfaces， with direction and traction。p。70 Central to animal evolution was the invention of new kinds of action， the coordinated motion of millions of cells， made possible by muscle and nervous systems。 New kinds of sensing arose to guide these actions。“If we reconstruct all knowledge as the tracking of patterns in sensations， a lot of obscure intellectual debris can be cast aside。”p。77Perhaps emotions and moods are perceptions of hormonal activities， and other states of the body。 The project here is to treat all kinds of experience as sensing or tracking or registering something。p。79 those indicative experiences are ones where there is a certain kind of balance in place between a feeling of my own presence and a taking in of what is going on around me。 This state of mind is not self-absorbed， inward-looking， or introspective。 Neither is it one where you might seem to disappear into transparency， left with just the scene itself。 Instead， it involves a balance between my presence and the presence of surroundingp。84Octopuses have the largest invertebrate nervous systems and are very behaviorally complex。 They are complex in a particular way—exploratory， manipulative， often interested in novelty。 They have several distinct ways of moving， including jet propulsion and various kinds of ambling crawl。p。 89Among all the animals coming out of these old branching events， just three groups produced species with large nervous systems and complex behaviors。 Those are the outcropping of molluscs called cephalopods; arthropods; and vertebrates: the rampaging octopus， the crabs sent scattering， and the gear-festooned human following。P。128Evolution has produced animals that engage with the world as subjects， and has also produced an organ of a biologically surprising kind that mediates these activities。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Metazoa
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Metazoa&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Metazoa&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0