Other Minds

A philosophy professor focuses on one of our most distant human ancestors, the octopus, in this provocative audiobook about the evolution of intelligence. Narrator Peter Noble is a wonderful fit for the material. Along with his measured fascination with these issues and his intelligent-sounding South African accent, he conveys the warmth necessary to keep listeners connected to the often esoteric material. Of course, the audiobook is not just about the octopus, a species that can recognize specific humans and whose neurons are more peripherally concentrated than ours. It's really a meditation, an homage to consciousness, self-awareness, intelligence, and the miracle of evolution. Sparkling with the imagery of natural history vignettes and the author's scuba-diving observations, the discussion illuminates the gaps between biology and philosophy, between scientific and spiritual perspectives on the human species. T.W. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine