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The gap: the science of what separates us from other animals

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There exists an undeniable chasm between the capacities of humans and those of animals. Our minds have spawned civilizations and technologies that have changed the face of the Earth, whereas even our closest animal relatives sit unobtrusively in their dwindling habitats. Yet despite longstanding debates, the nature of this apparent gap has remained unclear. What exactly is the difference between our minds and theirs?
In The Gap, psychologist Thomas Suddendorf provides a definitive account of the mental qualities that separate humans from other animals, as well as how these differences arose. Drawing on two decades of research on apes, children, and human evolution, he surveys the abilities most often cited as uniquely human — language, intelligence, morality, culture, theory of mind, and mental time travel — and finds that two traits account for most of the ways in which our minds appear so distinct: Namely, our open-ended ability to imagine and reflect on scenarios, and our insatiable drive to link our minds together. These two traits explain how our species was able to amplify qualities that we inherited in parallel with our animal counterparts; transforming animal communication into language, memory into mental time travel, sociality into mind reading, problem solving into abstract reasoning, traditions into culture, and empathy into morality.
Suddendorf concludes with the provocative suggestion that our unrivalled status may be our own creation — and that the gap is growing wider not so much because we are becoming smarter but because we are killing off our closest intelligent animal relatives.
Weaving together the latest findings in animal behavior, child development, anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, this book will change the way we think about our place in nature. A major argument for reconsidering what makes us human, The Gap is essential reading for anyone interested in our evolutionary origins and our relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom.
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ISBN:
9780465030149
9780465069842
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Grouping Information

Grouped Work ID8cbb77f2-10a2-9ef3-3d30-9635c1dc1883
Grouping Titlegap the science of what separates us from other animals
Grouping Authorthomas suddendorf
Grouping Categorybook
Grouping LanguageEnglish (eng)
Last Grouping Update2024-03-28 02:11:39AM
Last Indexed2024-03-28 02:24:37AM

Solr Fields

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author
Suddendorf, Thomas
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Suddendorf, Thomas
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South Natomas
Valley Hi-North Laguna
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South Natomas
Valley Hi-North Laguna
display_description
There exists an undeniable chasm between the capacities of humans and those of animals. Our minds have spawned civilizations and technologies that have changed the face of the Earth, whereas even our closest animal relatives sit unobtrusively in their dwindling habitats. Yet despite longstanding debates, the nature of this apparent gap has remained unclear. What exactly is the difference between our minds and theirs?
In The Gap, psychologist Thomas Suddendorf provides a definitive account of the mental qualities that separate humans from other animals, as well as how these differences arose. Drawing on two decades of research on apes, children, and human evolution, he surveys the abilities most often cited as uniquely human — language, intelligence, morality, culture, theory of mind, and mental time travel — and finds that two traits account for most of the ways in which our minds appear so distinct: Namely, our open-ended ability to imagine and reflect on scenarios, and our insatiable drive to link our minds together. These two traits explain how our species was able to amplify qualities that we inherited in parallel with our animal counterparts; transforming animal communication into language, memory into mental time travel, sociality into mind reading, problem solving into abstract reasoning, traditions into culture, and empathy into morality.
Suddendorf concludes with the provocative suggestion that our unrivalled status may be our own creation — and that the gap is growing wider not so much because we are becoming smarter but because we are killing off our closest intelligent animal relatives.
Weaving together the latest findings in animal behavior, child development, anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, this book will change the way we think about our place in nature. A major argument for reconsidering what makes us human, The Gap is essential reading for anyone interested in our evolutionary origins and our relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom.
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Book
eBook
format_category_catalog
Books
eBook
id
8cbb77f2-10a2-9ef3-3d30-9635c1dc1883
isbn
9780465030149
9780465069842
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Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2024-03-28T09:24:37.294Z
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156 S943 2013
owning_library_catalog
Sacramento Public Library
owning_location_catalog
South Natomas
Valley Hi-North Laguna
primary_isbn
9780465030149
publishDate
2013
publisher
Basic Books
Basic Books, a member of Perseus Books Group
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Psychology
Psychology, Comparative
title_display
The gap : the science of what separates us from other animals
title_full
The Gap The Science of What Separates Us from Other Animals
The gap : the science of what separates us from other animals / Thomas Suddendorf
title_short
The gap
title_sub
the science of what separates us from other animals
topic_facet
Nonfiction
Psychology
Psychology, Comparative
Science

Solr Details Tables

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ils:.b22387067BookBooksEnglishBasic Books, a member of Perseus Books Group[2013]vii, 358 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

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