The evolution of intelligent systems : how molecules became minds /

This small book hopes to make the reader aware and appreciative of the complexity of human cognition. Richardson (ret., Open Univ., UK; The Making of Intelligence, CH, Jun'01, 38-5855; Understanding Intelligence, CH, Sep'91, 29-0605) proposes that evolutionary attempts to explain human cognition reduce thinking to an unrealistic simplicity. To make the argument for environment-linked complexity, chapters model complex systems at several levels with dynamic system theory. These include "Intelligent Life," "Bodily Intelligence," "Evolution of Development," "Intelligent Eye and Brain," "From Neurons to Cognition," "Cognitive Functions," and "Social Intelligence.. The final chapter presents a human "evolutionary spiral" due to cooperation, Vygotskyian embeddedness in culture, and cognition-emotion linkages. Though it is far easier to talk of complexity than it is to model and explain it, the book makes a good case against simplicity when explaining the complicated human mind. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners. J. A. Mather University of Lethbridge