The Evolution of Intelligence: Are Humans the Only Animals with Minds?

by James H. Fetzer

James Fetzer explores the nature of consciousness and cognition in human beings and other animals. He addresses the inadequacies of the computational conception and expounds on an alternative theory based on the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior. Fetzer offers a new theory of intelligence by which machines can be intelligent without possessing minds.

280 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2005

About the author

American philosopher, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota.
Fetzer has written books about philosophy of science and on the theoretical foundations of computer science. He's an member of Scholars for 9/11 truth and believes the JFK assassination was an conspiracy.

Reviews

[Catherine Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read this book I looked at animal in a different light. Alot of people do not give credit to animals and tend to think of humans as being the ultimate superior to all other living things. However, this book specifically highlights the capabilities of various animals from a wide spectrum and made me look at the simple things my cat did alot more closely. With the belief of humans being the smartest usually animals are compared to humans with their actions and capabilities. To a certain extent the comparison of an animal to human tendensies is good, however, that should not be the main focus of tests and observations when watching any given animal.