From Bacteria to Bach and Back
#1620 of 2,654 all-time
From Bacteria to Bach and Back
Daniel Dennett
4 people recommended it in 4 threads, 2017–2024.
What people on Hacker News said
This is Paradigm shifting; weltanschauung shattering stuff. Dennet very clearly lays out a methodology for how all aspects of minds can evolve using heirarchical compositions of wetware robots or : "Si, abbiamo un anima. Ma é fatta di tanti piccoli robot! (Yes, we have a soul, but it’s made of lots of tiny robots!)"
The author (a philosopher informed by scientific theories, writing on the subject for many decades) weaves together the grand story explaining biological evolution, evolution of minds, evolution of culture, and more (explaining how memes are a very useful concept to understand the tremendous non-biological changes over the course of the history of life).
Daniel Dennet's books - explains how complex designs like our mind can appear out of very simple rules without the need of a designer or what consciousness basically is - a high level view i.e. how can we understand it in simple terms - or what is the purpose of humor.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read? 2024 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything? 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier? 2017 · 1 recommendation