Journey of the mind How thinking emerged from chaos

Ogi Ogas

Book - 2022

"Why do minds exist? How did mud and stone develop into beings that can experience longing, regret, love, and compassion-beings that are aware of their own experience? Until recently, science offered few answers to these existential questions. Journey of the Mind is the first book to offer a unified account of the mind that explains how consciousness, language, the Self, and civilization emerged incrementally out of chaos. The journey begins three billion years ago with the emergence of the simplest possible mind, a nanoscopic archeon, then ascends through amoebas, worms, frogs, birds, monkeys, and AI, examining successively smarter ways of thinking. The authors explain the mathematical principles generating conscious experience and sh...ow how these principles led cities and democratic nations to develop new forms of consciousness-the self-aware "superminds." Journey of the Mind concludes by contemplating a higher stage of consciousness already emerging-and the ultimate fate of all minds in the universe"--

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Subjects
Published
New York, NY : W. W. Norton & Company [2022]
Language
English
Main Author
Ogi Ogas (author)
Other Authors
Sai Gaddam (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
415 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-404) and index.
ISBN
9781324006572
  • Initial Value Problem
  • Stage I. Molecule Minds
  • Chapter 1. First Mind / Purpose
  • Chapter 2. Archaea Mind / Targeting
  • Chapter 3. Bacteria Mind I / Decision-Making
  • Chapter 4. Bacteria Mind II / Memory
  • Chapter 5. Amoeba Mind / Communication
  • Stage II. Neuron Minds
  • The Metropolis Principle
  • Chapter 6. Hydra Mind / Multitasking
  • Chapter 7. Roundworm Mind / Centralization
  • Chapter 8. Flatworm Mind / Perception
  • Chapter 9. Fly Mind / Representation
  • Stage III. Module Minds
  • The Unified Mathematics of the Self
  • Chapter 10. Fish Mind / The Preconscious Proletariat
  • Chapter 11. Frog Mind / How
  • Chapter 12. Tortoise Mind / What
  • Chapter 13. Rat Mind / Where
  • Chapter 14. Bird Mind / When
  • Chapter 15. Monkey Mind / Why
  • Chapter 16. Chimpanzee Mind / The Consciousness Cartel
  • Stage IV. Superminds
  • The Darkness
  • Chapter 17. Human Mind / Language
  • Chapter 18. Sapiens Supermind I / Civilization
  • Chapter 19. Sapiens Supermind II / Self
  • The Light
  • The Tandava
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Neuroscientists Ogas and Gaddam follow up A Billion Wicked Thoughts with a mind-bending survey that traces "the journey of the mind from the aimless cycling of mud on a dark and barren Earth until the morning a mind woke up." They examine consciousness and thought as manifested in 17 species, and kick things off with a study of archea, the "tiniest organism on Earth," to examine how a mind "emerg from mindlessness" and to distinguish the "Big Three" forms of thinking: consciousness, language, and the self. They dig into the minds of bacteria (which have early blueprints for decision-making), flies (who have complex sensory networks), tortoises (who have a knack for identifying objects), and birds (whose calls shed light on the development of culture), before getting to humans, capable of language and writing. They conclude that consciousness is not an emergent property but rather "a specific mental innovation that arose to solve specific mental challenges." The authors are at their strongest in breaking down early life-form growths and adaptations, but their conclusions that humans have developed a society-wide supermind, and that mathematics has "opened a gateway to another universe" are less convincing. Still, it's an original take on the nature of consciousness that gives readers plenty to think about. (Feb.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Two computational neuroscientists make a fascinating argument for a "hidden connectedness of all minds," from primitive bacteria to AI--enhanced human intelligence. What is "the mind," and how does it enable consciousness, language, and self-awareness? In carefully constructed chapters that build toward a unified theory of mind--a concept that scientists only recently developed the mathematical tools to explore--Ogas and Gaddam introduce 17 increasingly intelligent entities to demonstrate the incremental and awe-inspiring emergence of awareness and consciousness. For each of these "minds," the authors devise mental challenges and explain how the mind overcame them, a clever setup that draws readers into the surprisingly relatable drama of each scenario and enhances the authors' conversational (and equation-free) writing style. Their descriptive language is sharp and engaging, and the easy-to-understand illustrations demonstrate the concepts underpinning evolving conscious experience, such as a bacteria's interaction with the environment, the amoeba mind becoming aware of itself, and birdsong demonstrating culture. "Birdsong can…fuse the dynamics of two minds," write the authors, "empowering a couple to focus on joint purposes and enabling them to share similar perceptions of important situations." In later chapters, the authors explore "superminds," which gave rise to language, civilization, and the concept of the "self," and which continue to evolve as technology increases in sophistication and scope. Each of these examples bolsters their argument that "consciousness is a specific mental innovation that arose to solve specific mental challenges." Though the authors don't skimp on their analysis, that demystification may leave some readers wanting. Nonetheless, Ogas and Gaddam imbue every detail with awe and enthusiasm, a reminder to readers that the very science underpinning their theories is only possible because of the wondrous machinations of the human mind itself, a mind that likely has not reached its apotheosis. Packed with insight and astonishing in scope, this book offers an original perspective on thinking and consciousness. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.