The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

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Author has received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and the John Campbell Award for best science book of the year. In the book "The Anthropic Principle" I found, to my great surprise, that evolutionary biologists believe it was an incredible lucky break, far from inevitable even if given much time. While this sometimes resulted in largely unnecessary scorn and mockery from his fellow scientists, his honest skepticism combined with his open-mindedness also led to some of the most memorable popular science writing of our times. He became professor of astronomy and space science and director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, and co-founder of the Planetary Society. It just goes to show that in 1976, Sagan was so far ahead of nonscientists that we are still catching up to his vivid examples of the evolution of human intelligence.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Carl Sagan takes us on a great adventure, offering his vivid and startling insight into the brain of man and beast, the origin of human intelligence, the function of our most haunting legends and their amazing links to recent discoveries. Since a reptile has been the downfall of man once, it’s possible man stays away from reptiles to avoid another mistake such as the one committed by Eve. This is entirely counter to Asimov's view and to my own belief when younger that of course there would be intelligent extra-terrestrial life, lots of it. For the lay person, such as myself, there was a bit of (admittedly basic) mathematics which I struggled with for a bit, but it is by no means difficult for somebody who isn't as inept as me.Sagan achieved worldwide recognition as an advocate for science education with his television series, Cosmos. Other topics mentioned include the evolution of the brain (with emphasis on the function of the neocortex in humans), the evolutionary purpose of sleep and dreams, demonstration of sign language abilities by chimps and the purpose of mankind's innate fears and myths.

I would recommend this book for anybody interested in gaining a thinking layman's idea of neurophysiology and the evolution of the brain, and how human and animal intelligence relate to each other. Are dreams holdovers from a prehistoric world where, because of inadequate shelter and protection, we had to stay alert and awake during the night to engage with snakes and crocodiles on their own terms?The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence is a 1977 book by Carl Sagan, in which the author combines the fields of anthropology, evolutionary biology, psychology, and computer science to give a perspective on how human intelligence may have evolved. He spends a great deal of the book focusing on the human brain, how it functions, and how it differs from other animals.