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Product Description
Synopsis
The well-known astronomer and astrobiologist surveys current knowledge of the development of intelligence on Earth in various forms of life and explains his persuasion that intelligence must have developed along similar paths throughout the universe.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By GJ_Reading
Format:Mass Market Paperback
An interesting and intelligent book taking the reader on a well thought out journey through the development of the brain and intelligence. I have no doubt that the particulars of neuroscience have progressed since the late 1970's but as with many scientific fields the fundamentals tend to remain relevant and Sagan does appear to have a good grasp of these.
As an introduction to the ideas and a springboard for further investigation this book is thoroughly recommended.
As an introduction to the ideas and a springboard for further investigation this book is thoroughly recommended.
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Geronimo5000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Back in 1977, Sagan delved into the 3-layer evolution of the mammalian brain over the last 100 mn years. A worthy attempt to unravel the most complex biological assemblage (per kilo) yet known.
Sagan is somewhat simplistic in the way he stresses the layering (neocortex), reptilian core etc.. instead of increases in interconnectivity & his theorising may no longer be accurate in the 21st century. He depicts the Homo Sapiens brain as an organ riven with inner conflict & adversarial hangovers.
Hence the age-old dragons slain & re-slain (presumably our collective DNA memory of nocturnal mammal v. dinosaur?)
Very entertaining popularisation of science nonetheless.
Sagan is somewhat simplistic in the way he stresses the layering (neocortex), reptilian core etc.. instead of increases in interconnectivity & his theorising may no longer be accurate in the 21st century. He depicts the Homo Sapiens brain as an organ riven with inner conflict & adversarial hangovers.
Hence the age-old dragons slain & re-slain (presumably our collective DNA memory of nocturnal mammal v. dinosaur?)
Very entertaining popularisation of science nonetheless.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Ian Duffy
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this particular softcover edition and ended up buying it again, but went for a hardcover copy this time. The reason being this softcover edition has been printed abysmally with hardly any room between the type and the top and bottom of the pages (the footer and header). It seems by trying to save money on printing, a really good book has been sabotaged in the process. The hardcover edition is fine but steer clear of this softcover if you appreciate your books being decently printed.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dragons of Eden.
A hard read but a worthy one. Love this man and all his works, one to keep for posterity and study.
Published 2 months ago by Handspinner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Speculations, but scientifically informed all the same
The one barrier to this being a five star book is perhaps, by Sagan's own admission, his lack of expertise in this field, which always makes a reader more skeptical, even if he has... Read more
Published 4 months ago by T. West
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book by a great man
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because of it's age otherwise a fascinating jaunt into the misty depths of human cerebral evolution.
Published 5 months ago by Andrew J Keenan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fantastic
Informative, challenging and engaging, this book tells us how close and how distant we are from the rest of the animal world. Marvellously entertaining and thought-provoking.
Published 17 months ago by Cormac McFee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dragons of Eden - Carl Sagan
I'll just say it, this is a great book. As you'd expect, Carl opens his mind to the reader and his infectious enthusiasm hits you almost straight away. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Nathaniel Myers
3.0 out of 5 stars
They did have bog roll
Sagan was notoriously too optimistic and wishfully positive about human nature. Yet very harsh things sometimes get short mentions of slipped into his writing, including his view... Read more
Published 20 months ago by maurice frank
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing book!
Every book Carl Sagan writes is truly spectacular. Anyone who is a Carl fan will not be let down by this book.
Published on 16 Oct 2010 by WillowPower
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