The origin of the human mind remains one of the greatest mysteries of all times. The last 150 years since Charles Darwin proposed that species evolve under the influence of natural selection have been marked by great discoveries. However, the discussion of the evolution of the human intellect and specific forces that shaped the underlying brain evolution is as vigorous today as it was in Darwin's times. Using his background in neuroscience, the author offers an elegant, parsimonious theory of the evolution of the human mind and suggests experiments that could be done to test, refute, or validate the hypothesis.

Some of the most time-honored questions in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience center on the uniqueness of the human mind. How do we think? What makes us so different from all the other animals on planet Earth? What was the process that created the human mind? Is this process unique or can it be repeated on other planets? The book On the Origin of the Human Mind attempts to provide an answer to these questions. It is organized into three chapters: Chapter I Uniqueness of the Human Mind introduces the reader to recent research into animal behavior, communication, culture and learning, as well as controlled animal intelligence experiments and offers a new hypothesis of what makes the human mind unique. Chapter II Evolution of the Human Mind combines latest genetics research and archeological discoveries to help readers understand hominid evolution. The author discusses the forces that influenced the development of the hominid intelligence and offers a step-by-step theory that links improvement in visual information processing to speech development and to the types of stone tools manufactured by the hominids.Chapter III The Neurological Basis of Conscious Experience takes the reader on an exciting journey into the neurobiology of the human mind. The author introduces the reader to the structure and function of the brain and then presents recent insights into brain organization derived from cognitive psychology, brain imaging, animal experiments, and the studies of patients with diseases of the brain. The book concludes with a unifying theory of the mind and a discussion of the evolution of the human brain and the uniqueness of the human mind from the neurological perspective. Audience: The book speaks best to readers who want to approach the mind from a scientific perspective. The book is written in easy-to-read engaging style. No previous knowledge in psychology, paleoanthropology, or neuroscience is necessary

This bold and brilliant book asks the ultimate question of the life sciences: How did the human mind acquire its incomparable power? In seeking the answer, Merlin Donald traces the evolution of human culture and cognition from primitive apes to artificial intelligence, presenting an enterprising and original theory of how the human mind evolved from its presymbolic form.

"Geary also explores a number of issues that are of interest in modern society, including how general intelligence relates to academic achievement, occupational status, and income."--BOOK JACKET.

The history of science abounds with momentous theories that disrupted conventional wisdom and yet were eventually proven true. Ajit Varki and Danny Brower's "Mind over Reality" theory is poised to be one such idea-a concept that runs counter to commonly-held notions about human evolution but that may hold the key to understanding why humans evolved as we did, leaving all other related species far behind. At a chance meeting in 2005, Brower, a geneticist, posed an unusual idea to Varki that he believed could explain the origins of human uniqueness among the world's species: Why is there no humanlike elephant or humanlike dolphin, despite millions of years of evolutionary opportunity? Why is it that humans alone can understand the minds of others? Haunted by their encounter, Varki tried years later to contact Brower only to discover that he had died unexpectedly. Inspired by an incomplete manuscript Brower left behind, Denial presents a radical new theory on the origins of our species. It was not, the authors argue, a biological leap that set humanity apart from other species, but a psychological one: namely, the uniquely human ability to deny reality in the face of inarguable evidence-including the willful ignorance of our own inevitable deaths. The awareness of our own mortality could have caused anxieties that resulted in our avoiding the risks of competing to procreate-an evolutionary dead-end. Humans therefore needed to evolve a mechanism for overcoming this hurdle: the denial of reality. As a consequence of this evolutionary quirk we now deny any aspects of reality that are not to our liking-we smoke cigarettes, eat unhealthy foods, and avoid exercise, knowing these habits are a prescription for an early death. And so what has worked to establish our species could be our undoing if we continue to deny the consequences of unrealistic approaches to everything from personal health to financial risk-taking to climate change. On the other hand reality-denial affords us many valuable attributes, such as optimism, confidence, and courage in the face of long odds. Presented in homage to Brower's original thinking, Denial offers a powerful warning about the dangers inherent in our remarkable ability to ignore reality-a gift that will either lead to our downfall, or continue to be our greatest asset.

"Genesis of Creativity and the Origin of the Human Mind" is a collective monograph which comprises scientific studies written by foremost world experts specialising on evolution of the man, culture and art. Seen from the interdisciplinary perspective, the monograph aspires to describe, analyse and interpret the nascence of artistic creativity and the constitution of the anatomically modern man s mind. It also focuses on the origins of art in the Upper Paleolithic as well as on manifestations of artistic creativity in pre-literary societies and tribal cultures that have preserved until present, e.g. in Southern Africa. The fact that the monograph is a result of works by experts with different specialisations enables us to compare their different approaches to the topic and accentuate the wide array of possible approaches and interpretations of artistic manifestations in a particular historic and cultural context."

“A History of the Human Brain is a unique, enlightening, and provocative account of the most significant question we can ask about ourselves.” —Richard Wrangham, author of The Goodness Paradox Just 125,000 years ago, humanity was on a path to extinction, until a dramatic shift occurred. We used our mental abilities to navigate new terrain and changing climates. We hunted, foraged, tracked tides, shucked oysters—anything we could do to survive. Before long, our species had pulled itself back from the brink and was on more stable ground. What saved us? The human brain—and its evolutionary journey is unlike any other. In A History of the Human Brain, Bret Stetka takes us on this far-reaching journey, explaining exactly how our most mysterious organ developed. From the brain’s improbable, watery beginnings to the marvel that sits in the head of Home sapiens today, Stetka covers an astonishing progression, even tackling future brainy frontiers such as epigenetics and CRISPR. Clearly and expertly told, this intriguing account is the story of who we are. By examining the history of the brain, we can begin to piece together what it truly means to be human.