From Bacteria to Bach and Back
2017 book by Daniel Dennett / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds is a 2017 book about the origin of human consciousness by the philosopher Daniel Dennett, in which the author makes a case for a materialist theory of mind,[1] arguing that consciousness is no more mysterious than gravity.
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![]() Cover (Painting by Vasily Kandinsky, "transverse line" 1923) | |
Author | Daniel Dennett |
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Language | English |
Subject | Human consciousness |
Published | 2017 |
Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 496 |
ISBN | 978-0-393-24207-2 |
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Drawing on ideas from René Descartes and Charles Darwin, Dennett writes that:
- '... natural systems can create "competence without comprehension"—that is, situations in which sophisticated actions occur without the individual or machine involved understanding the reasons for the actions taken.'[2]
and that:
- 'a comprehending mind could in fact have arisen from a mindless process of natural selection. ...'[3]