Up from Dragons : The Evolution of Human Intelligence

by Skoyles, John R.; Sagan, Dorion

• ISBN13: 9780071378253
• ISBN10: 0071378251
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-05-17
• Publisher: MCG

Summary

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 software­­and 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.

Author Biography

John Skoyles, Ph.D., a polymath who has been compared to Stephen Hawking, was misdiagnosed as mentally handicapped as a child. Dr. Skoyles holds degrees from The London School of Economics and University College London. A former researcher funded by the British Medical Research Council, he has chosen to become an independent scholar. He has made significant contributions in the areas of neural network models, right hemisphere literacy, the alphabet and the brain, motor perception, and the mirror neuron. Dr. Skoyles has written numerous articles on an array of subjects, including early astronomy, open society, and the origin of classical Greek culture; these have appeared in Nature, New Scientist, Trends in NeuroScience, American Psychologist, PSYCOLOQUY, Journal of Memetics, and other prestigious journals.

Dorion Sagan, son of Carl Sagan, is an award-winning science writer. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including Microcosmos, Slanted Truths: Essays on Gaia, Evolution and Symbiosis, The Diversity of Living Organisms, What is Life?, and Origins of Sex. His articles have appeared in Wired, The New York Times, Smithsonian, The Sciences, and other leading publications.

Table of Contents

Preface: Reembarking on an Intellectual Voyage	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
The Cosmic Mirror	1	(10)
Up from Dragons	11	(14)
Neurons Unlimited	25	(16)
Superbrain	41	(14)
Mind-Engine	55	(14)
Neural Revolution	69	(12)
Machiavellian Neurons	81	(12)
The Troop within Our Heads	93	(16)
Our Living Concern	109	(18)
Doing the Right Thing	127	(14)
Where Memories Are Made	141	(18)
What Are We?	159	(24)
Of Human Bonding	183	(8)
The Symbolic Brain	191	(16)
Lucy and Kanzi: Travelers to Humanity	207	(22)
The Runaway Species	229	(18)
The Billion-Hour Journey	247	(20)
Third-Millennium Brain	267	(18)
Notes	285	(42)
Bibliography	327	(78)
Index	405