Evolution and the emergent self
Subtitle: the rise of complexity and behavioral versatility in nature
By: Raymond L. Neubauer ; illustrations by Xuan Yue
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 326
ISBN-13: 9780231150705; 9780231521680
Subjects: Animal behavior; Evolution; Behavior evolution; Human behavior; Evolution (Biology); Human evolution; Social evolution
Description: The author presents a view of nature that describes rising complexity in life in terms of increasing information content, first in genes and then in brains. It portrays four species with high brain:body ratios and shows how each species shares with humans the capacity for complex communication, elaborate social relationships, flexible behaviour, tool use, and powers of abstraction. The book describes this constellation of qualities as an emergent self, arguing that self-awareness is nascent in several species besides humans and that potential human characteristics are embedded in the evolutionary process.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.