1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910455094103321

Autore

Stewart Ian <1945->

Titolo

Figments of reality : the evolution of the curious mind / / Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 1997

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

Descrizione fisica

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

Disciplina

153.4/2

Soggetti

Cognition and culture

Consciousness

Intellect

Genetic psychology

Cultural pluralism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

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

Nota di bibliografia

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

Nota di contenuto

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.

Sommario/riassunto

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.