The origin of mind: evolution of brain, cognition, and general intelligence

Abstract

Reviews the book, The Origin of Mind: Evolution of Brain, Cognition, and General Intelligence by David C. Geary (see record 2004-19513-000). David Geary's The Origin of Mind is a remarkable book. As suggested by its subtitle, it ambitiously addresses many of the oldest questions of science (and society): How does one define intelligence? Is intelligence a biologically meaningful concept? What neurobiological mechanisms underlie not only intelligence but cognition in general? And, ultimately, what (if any) selective pressures shaped the evolution of the human brain? These are profound questions to ask and (to varying degrees in different chapters) Geary's work does an extraordinary job in answering them. The book is organized around the author's "motivation to control" hypothesis--essentially, that the driving force of human evolution is an individual's ability to maintain control over the immediate environment. At its best, the book is clear, concise, and convincing. The author is diligent in avoiding controversy, despite the volatile nature of the material. Although the scope is sprawling, he remains meticulously well-grounded throughout and his citations are as current as could reasonably be expected. That said, the book is dense and it is easy to become bogged down--a problem exacerbated by awkward organization in some chapters and figures that do not match the quality of the text. The volume seems ideally suited to a graduate level seminar course, for above all, reading it is an intellectually stimulating (not to mention time-consuming) undertaking. It is the kind of book that you want to immediately discuss with a friend or colleague--as we indeed enjoyed doing as we wrote this review. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved)