Up from Dragons: The Evolution of Human Intelligence

Front Cover
McGraw-Hill, 2002 - Psychology - 417 pages
A breathtaking account of the "unnatural" history of consciousness and human intelligence

Taking its cue from "The Dragons of Eden, "Carl Sagan's 1977 classic and "New York Times "bestseller, "Up from Dragons "traces the development of human intelligence back to its animal roots in an attempt to account for the vast differences between our species and all those that came before us. In a book that will spark a storm of debate, neuroscientist John Skoyles and awardwinning author Dorion Sagan introduce a controversial theory of the origins of human intelligence that may hold the answers to questions that have haunted scientists about mind, consciousness, and the evolutionary odyssey of humankind. It also introduces the revolutionary concept of "mindware"--the human, evolutionary equivalent of computer software--and describes how the evolution-accelerating symbol-using programs that make it up have empowered us with the unprecedented ability to take charge of our own evolutionary destiny.

From inside the book

 

Contents

The Cosmic Mirror
1
Up from Dragons
11
Neurons Unlimited
25
Copyright

18 other sections not shown

Common terms and phrases

ability adult alpha amygdala animals apes areas auditory behavior blind blood body Boesch bonds bonobos Carl Sagan cells cerebral cortex chimpanzees chimps cingulate Cognitive color consciousness cortices Damasio Electroencephalography emotions evolution evolved exist experience eyes face feel females Figan fingers frontal cortex frontal lobe function gamma genes gifted environment give Goldman-Rakic Goodall hand happen hear hippocampus human brain hunter-gatherers hypothalamus imagine injuries inner cues input Jane Goodall Kanzi lack language lives look males mammals maps memory mental million mind mindware monkeys mother motor cortex movement neural plasticity neurons Neuroscience orbital prefrontal cortex orchestra organize oxytocin phantom physical play potential primates problem processes psychologists reptiles scans scientists selection sense skills Skoyles sleep slow-wave sleep social species speech story suggests survival symbols synchronization Taï thalamus things thought tion visual cortex words young

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Bibliographic information

TitleUp from Dragons: The Evolution of Human Intelligence
AuthorsJohn Robert Skoyles, Dorion Sagan
Editionillustrated
PublisherMcGraw-Hill, 2002
Original fromthe University of Michigan
DigitizedOct 1, 2008
ISBN0071378251, 9780071378253
Length417 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Psychology / Cognitive Psychology & Cognition
Science / General
Science / Life Sciences / Biology
Science / Life Sciences / Evolution
Science / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics
  
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