From Bacteria to Bach and Back

From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds
Cover (Painting by Vasily Kandinsky, "transverse line" 1923)
AuthorDaniel Dennett
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHuman consciousness
Published2017
PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages496
ISBN978-0-393-24207-2

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.

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]
  1. ^ "His aim is to provide a materialist account of the evolutionary origins of the human mind and consciousness ..." Steven Rose review in The Guardian - 2 Feb 2017
  2. ^ Publishers Weekly
  3. ^ goodreads

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