Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life

Other Minds is all about octopuses. Written by a philosopher who just really likes them, it's an alternative look at a fascinating animal.

Other Minds sets out to do two things: it wants to look at the evolution of the octopus, and how it go to where it is; and it wants to explore what it is like to be an octopus. This leads to the question "How does it feel to be an octopus?". I thought this is an extremely ambitious question. After all, who can answer the question "How does it feel to be a human?" Or "what's it like to be a human?"

I've read the book, and I understand a lot more about the evolution of octopuses. It's absolutely knowledge that is in no way vital. It's not going to help my  life at all, but its pretty interesting to know, and it's what makes this book. Humans share a common ancestor with most intelligent animals going back to around dinosaur times. Our last common ancestor with octopuses goes back to when all life on earth consisted of worms in the sea, some 600 million years earlier (if I remember correctly). From there octopuses evolved completely separately from the other intelligent animals, making them the closest thing we have to aliens.

The book is fascinating. There are so many interesting tidbits and subjects that get more and more complicated as we drill down into them - Godfrey-Smith is a philosopher after all. Did you know octopuses change colour to match their surroundings, but they are colour blind? How does that work? Other Minds gets deep into questions like this, among others, some of which appear straight forward and simple (Why do we get old?). It debates the theories, tries out possible answers and settles on one. It's an interesting way of looking at biology - it's a debate rather than a book of facts.

The one and only criticism I'd have of this book is it lacked any sort of direction. It jumped from one subject to another, and didn't round off with a nice conclusive chapter. It's a small gripe, but a sense of direction can make these pop-science books a much more satisfying experience. 

Ultimately, this is a pretty fascinating book. The subject matter is so ordinary yet so extraordinary, its utterly riveting. Highly recommended. I'm not sure I know what it is like to be an octopus though.

Buy Other Minds on Amazon here