RaveThe Wall Street JournalUsing the tools developed by Darwin, Alan Turing and more recently Richard Dawkins, he provides more definition to his view that mindless elements (cells) can build minds just as mindless ants can build castles. Those ants don’t care about the castle, and those cells don’t care about you. The book is a solid reference point for considering a multitude of ideas, opinions, notions and facts about the mind. Through 15 swift chapters (each divided into digestible sub-chapters), Mr. Dennett takes us from the 'prebiotic' world to 'The Evolution of Understanding' in animals ... The depth of Mr. Dennett’s knowledge and the playfulness of his writing are on display as he examines the absorption and transmission of culturally generated memes. But he has important philosophical points to make as well ... In its sweeping yet detailed view of the human mind, From Bacteria to Bach and Back plays to all of its author’s strengths. The scope of his canvas, and the power of his explanations to widen our horizons, help us believe that we can think up decent answers to seemingly impenetrable problems. This is a book to read and relish and then read again.
